ROTATING RACK RETROFIT KIT

Abstract

A dishwasher rack is able to rotate with respect to the dishwasher to permit access to all areas of the dishwasher rack from one side of the dishwasher. A spin arm is coupled to the dishwasher rack. The spin arm rotates with respect to a guideway that is coupled to a mounting frame. The mounting frame has wheels so that it can travel within the wheel tracks of the dishwasher.

Claims

1. A rotatable dishwasher rack, comprising: a dishwasher rack having a housing with a plurality of openings; a mounting frame with a front edge, a rear edge, and side edges; a guideway coupled to said mounting frame; a spin arm coupled to said housing of said dishwasher rack, said spin arm positioned on said guideway; and a plurality of wheels coupled to said mounting frame.

2. The rotatable dishwasher rack of claim 1, including a center post coupled to said mounting frame inside said guideway and a snap post coupled to said center post and said housing of said dishwasher rack.

3. The rotatable dishwasher rack of claim 1, including a plurality of wheels positioned on said guideway.

4. The rotatable dishwasher rack of claim 3, wherein said plurality of wheels are coupled to said spin arm.

5. The rotatable dishwasher rack of claim 1, wherein said guideway is circular and has a plurality of ramps.

6. The rotatable dishwasher rack of claim 1, wherein said guideway has a flange.

7. The rotatable dishwasher rack of claim 6, wherein said spin arm has a plurality of snaps that engage said flange of said guideway.

8. The rotatable dishwasher rack of claim 1, wherein said plurality of wheels are positioned in a wheel housing that couples to said side edges of said mounting frame.

9. The rotatable dishwasher rack of claim 5, including a plurality of valleys in between said plurality of ramps.

10. A dishwasher, comprising: a dishwasher having a dishwasher housing having an interior cavity and at least one set of parallel wheel tracks; a dishwasher rack; a mounting frame with a front edge, a rear edge, and side edges; a guideway coupled to said mounting frame; a spin arm coupled to said housing of said dishwasher rack, said spin arm positioned on said guideway; and a plurality of wheels coupled to said mounting frame, said plurality of wheels engaging said parallel wheel tracks when said dishwasher rack is removed from said interior cavity.

11. The dishwasher of claim 10, wherein said set of parallel wheel tracks is on an inside surface of a door that is coupled to said dishwasher housing.

12. The dishwasher of claim 10, including a plurality of wheels coupled to said spin arm that rests on said guideway.

13. The dishwasher of claim 10, wherein said guideway is circular and has a plurality of ramps with a plurality of valleys positioned between said plurality of ramps.

14. A kit for coupling to a dishwasher rack, comprising: a mounting frame with a front edge, a rear edge, and side edges; a guideway coupled to said mounting frame; a spin arm configured to be coupled to said dishwasher rack, said spin arm positioned on said guideway; and a plurality of wheels coupled to said mounting frame.

15. The kit of claim 14, including a plurality of wheels positioned on said guideway.

16. The kit of claim 15, wherein said plurality of wheels are coupled to said spin arm.

17. The kit of claim 14, wherein said guideway has a plurality of ramps.

18. The kit of claim 14, wherein said guideway has a flange.

19. The kit of claim 18, wherein said spin arm has a plurality of snaps that engage said flange of said guideway.

20. The kit of claim 17, including a plurality of valleys in between said plurality of ramps.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] In the drawings:

[0007] FIG. 1 includes a perspective view of a person unloading a rotatable dishwasher rack;

[0008] FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the components of the rotatable dishwasher rack shown in FIG. 1 before it is coupled to a dishwasher rack and inserted into the dishwasher;

[0009] FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the components of another embodiment of a rotatable dishwasher rack;

[0010] FIG. 4 is a side view of the guideway of the rotatable dishwasher rack shown in FIG. 3;

[0011] FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of the guideway shown in FIGS. 3 and 4;

[0012] FIG. 6 is a top perspective, enlarged view of the spin arm of the rotatable dishwasher rack shown in FIG. 3;

[0013] FIG. 7 is a side, enlarged view of the guideway and spin arm of the rotatable dishwasher rack shown in FIG. 3;

[0014] FIG. 8 is a top perspective view of the guideway and spin arm shown in FIGS. 3 and 7;

[0015] FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the guideway and spin arm taken along section IX of FIG. 8;

[0016] FIG. 10 is a partial top perspective view of the wheel assemblies attached on the mounting frame of the rotatable dishwasher rack of FIGS. 2 and 3;

[0017] FIG. 11 is a partial top perspective view of the center post of the assembly shown in FIG. 2;

[0018] FIG. 12 is a top perspective view of the guideway and center post coupled to the mounting frame for the assembly shown in FIG. 2;

[0019] FIG. 12A is a partial side cross-sectional view taken along section XIIA of FIG. 12;

[0020] FIG. 12B is a partial side cross-sectional view taken along section XIIB of FIG. 12;

[0021] FIG. 13 is a partial top perspective view of the guideway coupled to the mounting frame of the assembly shown in FIG. 2;

[0022] FIG. 14 is a partial side cross-sectional view of the center post and snap post of the assembly shown in FIG. 2 as they begin coupling;

[0023] FIG. 15 is a partial side cross-sectional view of the center post and snap post shown in FIG. 14 after coupling;

[0024] FIG. 16 is a top view of the snap post and spin arm of the assembly shown in FIG. 2 coupled to a dishwasher rack;

[0025] FIG. 16A is a partial side cross-sectional view take along section XVIA of FIG. 16;

[0026] FIG. 16B is a partial side cross-sectional view taken along section XVIB of FIG. 16;

[0027] FIG. 17 is a partial top view and partial enlarged sideview of the wheel of the assembly shown in FIG. 2 on the guideway;

[0028] FIG. 18 is a front perspective view of the components shown in FIG. 2 for coupling to a dishwasher rack;

[0029] FIG. 19 is a front view of the completed assembly of the components shown in FIG. 18;

[0030] FIG. 20 is a side view of the completed assembly of the components shown in FIG. 18;

[0031] FIG. 21 is a top view of the completed assembly of the components shown in FIG. 18;

[0032] FIG. 22 is a top perspective view of another embodiment of a rotatable dishwasher rack;

[0033] FIG. 23 is a top perspective view of the components shown in FIG. 22;

[0034] FIG. 24 is a top perspective view of the spin arm shown in FIG. 22;

[0035] FIG. 25 is a top perspective view of the guideway shown in FIG. 22; and

[0036] FIG. 26 is a top view of the rotatable dishwasher rack shown in FIG. 22.

[0037] The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The present illustrated embodiments reside primarily in combinations of method steps and apparatus components related to a rotatable dishwasher rack. Accordingly, the apparatus components and method steps have been represented, where appropriate, by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein. Further, like numerals in the description and drawings represent like elements.

[0039] For purposes of description herein, the terms upper, lower, right, left, rear, front, vertical, horizontal, and derivatives thereof shall relate to the disclosure as oriented in FIG. 1. Unless stated otherwise, the term front shall refer to the surface of the element closer to an intended viewer, and the term rear shall refer to the surface of the element further from the intended viewer. However, it is to be understood that the disclosure may assume various alternative orientations, except where expressly specified to the contrary. It is also to be understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the following specification are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise.

[0040] The terms including, comprises, comprising, or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element preceded by comprises a . . . does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.

[0041] Referring to FIGS. 1-21, reference numeral 4 generally designates a rotatable dishwasher rack that is used in a dishwasher 2. The dishwasher rack 4 is rotatable with respect to a mounting frame 12. The illustrated mounting frame 12 has a front edge 14, a rear edge 16, and side edges 18. A plurality of wheels 20 are coupled to the side edges 18 of the mounting frame 12. The wheels 20 can be coupled to the mounting frame 12 by the wheel carrier 22 that has mechanical structures 23 to couple to the mounting frame 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the wheel carrier 22 has grooves for receiving one or more tines 209 of the mounting frame 12 and one or more snaps for coupling the wheel carrier 22 to one or more tines 209 of the mounting frame 12. The wheels 20 can be releasably coupled to the wheel carrier 22 or can be permanently installed in the wheel carrier 22. The mounting frame 12 may then travel along the wheel track of the dishwasher 2. In the illustrated embodiment, the wheel track is on the dishwasher door and the mounting frame 12 supports the lower dishwasher rack 4. However, the wheel track could be in extendable tracks that are used for the upper dishwasher rack 4.

[0042] In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-2 and 10-21, a guideway 24 has an upper surface with a plurality of ramps 26 with valleys 28 located between the ramps 26. The valleys 28 act as passive locking of the wheels 32 located between the guideway 24 and spin arm 30. In the illustrated embodiment, the valleys 28 are spaced about 90 apart on the upper surface of the guideway 24. However, the valleys 28 could be spaced apart in other orientations, including having more or less than four valleys 28 on the upper surface. In addition, the ramps 26 and valleys 28 could be positioned on the spin arm 30 in addition to, or in place of, being positioned on the guideway 24.

[0043] The guideway 24 is illustrated as being generally circular. However, the guideway 24 could have different shapes while providing for the rotation of the spin arm 30 with respect to the guideway 24. In addition, the upper surface of the guideway 24 can be shaped to receive the wheels 32 that are positioned in between the guideway 24 and spin arm 30. This can include a raised rail that is received in a concave surface of the wheels 32 or a groove that receives the wheels 32. In addition, the upper surface of the guideway 24 can include other features to assist in the guiding and/or locking of the wheels 32.

[0044] The guideway 24 is coupled to the mounting frame 12 by coupling members 29 that engage surfaces of the mounting frame 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the coupling members 29 are grooves, snaps, and clips that engage the tines 209 of the mounting frame 12 to releasably lock the guideway 24 onto the mounting frame 12. Other types of coupling mechanisms can be used to releasably lock the guideway 24 to the mounting frame 12.

[0045] The spin arm 30 has posts 34 that receive wheels 32. The posts 34 are designed to have the wheels 32 press fit onto the posts 34, as illustrated in FIG. 17. However, the wheels 32 could be coupled to the posts 34 in alternative ways, including, but not limited to, by the use of fasteners. The spin arm 30 has coupling members 43 that couple the spin arm 30 to the lower surface 7 of the dishwasher rack 4. The coupling members 43 can include grooves, snaps, and clips that engage the tines 9 of the dishwasher rack 4. Other types of coupling mechanisms can be used to releasably lock the spin arm 30 to the lower surface of the dishwasher rack 4.

[0046] A center post 36 is coupled to the mounting frame 12 by coupling members 37. In the illustrated embodiment, the center post 36 is located in the middle of the guideway 24. A snap post 38 is coupled to the dishwasher rack 4 by coupling members 39. In the illustrated embodiment, the snap post 38 is positioned in the middle of the spin arm 30. The snap post 38 is coupled to the center post 36 as illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15. The snap post 38 can include spaced apart legs 90 that include edges 92 that pass through opening 94 in center post 36 to couple the snap post 38 to the center post 36. The snap post 38 rotates with respect to the center post 36 while restricting the X and Y axis movement of the dishwasher rack 4 with respect to the mounting frame 12. Thus, the dishwasher rack 4 can rotate with respect to the mounting frame 12 but not move forward or sideways with respect to the mounting frame 12.

[0047] Another embodiment of the rotatable dishwasher rack 4 is illustrated in FIGS. 3-9. The guideway 124 includes coupling members 129 and 131 to releasably couple the guideway 124 to the mounting frame 12. The guideway 124 has a flange 150. In the illustrated embodiment the flange 150 is interrupted and located near the inner diameter of the guideway 124. The flange 150 can be continuous and/or located on other portions of the guideway 124. The guideway 124 includes an upper surface with ramps 126 and valleys 128 for passively locking the dishwasher rack 4 when it is rotated, as described above.

[0048] The spin arm 130 has posts 134 for receiving wheels 132. The posts 134 are located on the inner surface of extensions 145, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 6. The spin arm 130 includes snaps 160 that engage the flange 150 of the guideway 124 preventing the movement of the spin arm 130 in a non-rotational direction with respect to the guideway 124, i.e., prevent forward or sideways movement in an X or Y direction. The snaps 160 may have openings 164.

[0049] The spin arm 130 has coupling members 162, 170, 180 that releasably couple the spin arm 130 to the lower surface of dishwasher rack 4. The coupling member 170 may create a snap fit with a tine 9 of the dishwasher rack 4 by using a snap 174 positioned below a tab 172. The coupling members 162, 180 may contact one or more tines 9 of the dishwasher rack 4. Other coupling mechanisms may be used to couple the spin arm 130 to the dishwasher rack 4.

[0050] Another embodiment of the rotatable dishwasher rack 4 is illustrated in FIGS. 22-26. The guideway 224 is coupled to the mounting frame 12 using coupling members 280. The guideway 224 has an inner ring 250 and an outer ring 252. The guideway 224 includes ramps 292 and valleys 290 to passively lock the rotation of the dishwasher rack 4. The spin arm 230 has posts 234 for coupling wheels 232. The posts 234 are located in extensions 260 so that the wheels 232 travel along the outer ring 252 of the guideway 224. The spin arm 230 has tabs 300 that can engage a section of the guideway 224 to prevent non-rotational movement of the spin arm 230 with respect to the guideway 224, as described above.

[0051] As can be seen from the illustrated embodiments, the mounting frame 12 moves with respect to the dishwasher 2. Once the mounting frame 12 has been moved out of the cavity of the dishwasher 2, the dishwasher rack 4 can be loaded or unloaded. The dishwasher rack 4 can be rotated to access other parts of the rack, such as a silverware basket 10. The dishwasher rack 4 can be passively locked into different locations, such as every 90 of rotation by having the wheels (32, 132, 232) between the spin arm (30, 130, 230) and the guideway (24, 124, 224) positioned in a valley (28, 128, 290). While the illustrated embodiments show four wheels (32, 132, 232) and four valleys (28, 128, 290), more or less wheels and valleys can be used depending upon the number of passive stops/locks that are desired. Different orientations and shapes can be used for the guideway (24, 124, 224) and spin arm (30, 130, 230) provided that the spin arm can rotate with respect to the guideway. In addition, different mechanisms, such as posts (36, 38) and/or mechanical fasteners on the guideways (24, 124, 224) and spin arms (30, 130, 230) can be used to prevent movement of the dishwasher rack 4 in an X or Y direction with respect to the mounting frame 12.

[0052] The illustrated components may be made of any suitable material for handling the heat and water of the dishwasher 2. In addition, the components may come installed in a dishwasher rack 4 or may be part of a retrofit kit for existing dishwasher racks.

[0053] According to another aspect of the present disclosure is a rotatable dishwasher rack. The dishwasher rack having a housing with a plurality of openings. A mounting frame with a front edge, a rear edge, and side edges. A guideway is coupled to said mounting frame. A spin arm is coupled to said housing of said dishwasher rack, said spin arm positioned on said guideway. A plurality of wheels is coupled to said mounting frame.

[0054] According to another aspect, the rotatable dishwasher rack includes a center post coupled to said mounting frame inside said guideway and a snap post coupled to said center post and said housing of said dishwasher rack.

[0055] According to another aspect, the rotatable dishwasher rack includes a plurality of wheels positioned on said guideway.

[0056] According to another aspect, the rotatable dishwasher rack includes plurality of wheels are coupled to said spin arm.

[0057] According to another aspect, the guideway is circular and has a plurality of ramps.

[0058] According to another aspect, the guideway has a flange.

[0059] According to another aspect, the spin arm has a plurality of snaps that engage the flange of the guideway.

[0060] According to another aspect, the plurality of wheels are positioned in a wheel housing that couples to the side edges of the mounting frame.

[0061] According to another aspect, a plurality of valleys are between the plurality of ramps.

[0062] According to yet another aspect of the invention, is a dishwasher with a rotatable dishwasher rack.

[0063] According to yet another aspect of the invention, the dishwasher has a dishwasher housing with an interior cavity and at least one set of parallel wheel tracks.

[0064] According to yet another aspect of the invention, the dishwasher has a dishwasher rack.

[0065] According to yet another aspect of the invention, the dishwasher has a mounting frame with a front edge, a rear edge, and side edges.

[0066] According to yet another aspect of the invention, a guideway is coupled to the mounting frame.

[0067] According to yet another aspect of the invention, a spin arm is coupled to the housing of the dishwasher rack, the spin arm being positioned on the guideway.

[0068] According to yet another aspect of the invention, a plurality of wheels is coupled to the mounting frame, the plurality of wheels engaging the parallel wheel tracks when the dishwasher rack is removed from the interior cavity.

[0069] According to yet another aspect of the invention, the set of parallel wheel tracks is on an inside surface of a door that is coupled to the dishwasher housing.

[0070] According to yet another aspect of the invention, a plurality of wheels is coupled to the spin arm with the wheels resting on the guideway.

[0071] According to yet another aspect of the invention, the guideway is circular and has a plurality of ramps with a plurality of valleys positioned between the plurality of ramps.

[0072] According to yet another aspect of the invention, is a kit for coupling to a dishwasher rack to make the dishwasher rack rotatable.

[0073] According to yet another aspect of the invention, a mounting frame includes a front edge, a rear edge, and side edges.

[0074] According to yet another aspect of the invention, a guideway is coupled to the mounting frame.

[0075] According to yet another aspect of the invention, a spin arm is configured to be coupled to the dishwasher rack, the spin arm is positioned on the guideway.

[0076] According to yet another aspect of the invention, a plurality of wheels are coupled to the mounting frame.

[0077] According to yet another aspect of the invention, a plurality of wheels are positioned on the guideway.

[0078] According to yet another aspect of the invention, a plurality of wheels are coupled to the spin arm.

[0079] According to yet another aspect of the invention, the guideway has a plurality of ramps.

[0080] According to yet another aspect of the invention, the guideway has a flange.

[0081] According to yet another aspect of the invention, the spin arm has a plurality of snaps that engage the flange of the guideway.

[0082] According to yet another aspect of the invention, a plurality of valleys are located between the plurality of ramps.

[0083] It will be understood by one having ordinary skill in the art that construction of the described disclosure and other components is not limited to any specific material. Other exemplary embodiments of the disclosure disclosed herein may be formed from a wide variety of materials, unless described otherwise herein.

[0084] For purposes of this disclosure, the term coupled (in all of its forms, couple, coupling, coupled, etc.) generally means the joining of two components (electrical or mechanical) directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary in nature or movable in nature. Such joining may be achieved with the two components (electrical or mechanical) and any additional intermediate members being integrally formed as a single unitary body with one another or with the two components. Such joining may be permanent in nature or may be removable or releasable in nature unless otherwise stated.

[0085] It is also important to note that the construction and arrangement of the elements of the disclosure as shown in the exemplary embodiments is illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments of the present innovations have been described in detail in this disclosure, those skilled in the art who review this disclosure will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter recited. For example, elements shown as integrally formed may be constructed of multiple parts or elements shown as multiple parts may be integrally formed, the operation of the interfaces may be reversed or otherwise varied, the length or width of the structures and/or members or connector or other elements of the system may be varied, the nature or number of adjustment positions provided between the elements may be varied. It should be noted that the elements and/or assemblies of the system may be constructed from any of a wide variety of materials that provide sufficient strength or durability, in any of a wide variety of colors, textures, and combinations. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present innovations. Other substitutions, modifications, changes, and omissions may be made in the design, operating conditions, and arrangement of the desired and other exemplary embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present innovations.

[0086] It will be understood that any described processes or steps within described processes may be combined with other disclosed processes or steps to form structures within the scope of the present disclosure. The exemplary structures and processes disclosed herein are for illustrative purposes and are not to be construed as limiting.