Detergent dispensing apparatus

Claim 1

IN A DISHWASHER AND THE LIKE IN WHICH A SERIES OF OPERATIONS ARE PERFORMED AUTOMATICALLY UNDER THE CONTROL OF TIMING MEANS, WITH AT LEAST TWO WASHING OPERATIONS PROVIDED, DETERGENT DISPENSING APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING SEPARATE CHARGES OF DETERGENT TO THE WASHING CHAMBER RESPECTIVELY FOR THE TWO SUCH WASHING OPERATIONS, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND NON-COMMUNICATING COMPARTMENTS EACH ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A CHARGE OF THE DETERGENT, MEANS FOR NORMALLY SHIELDING THE CHARGES PLACED IN SAID COMPARTMENTS FROM THE CIRCULATIONS OF WATER ATHROUGHOUT THE WASHING CHAMBER AND DISCHARGE MEANS FOR FLUSHING THE DETERGENT CHARGES FROM THE COMPARTMENTS TO THE CHAMBER, THE DISHWASHER HAVING A PUMP AND SAID DISCHARGE MEANS COMPRISING A LENGTH OF RELATIVELY SMALL HOSE CONNECTED TO THE OUTLET SIDE OF THE PUMP AND TO ONE SIDE OF THE THROUGH PASSAGE OF A T-FITTING, A FIRST FLEXIBLE HOSE BRANCH CONNECTED TO THE LEG OF SAID FITTING AND TO SAID FIRST COMPARTMENT AT A WALL OPENING IN THE LATTER, A SECOND FLEXIBLE HOSE BRANCH CONNECTED TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STRAIGHT PASSAGE OF THE FITTING AND TO THE SECOND COMPARTMENT LIKEWISE AT A WALL OPENING THEREIN, AND PINCH VALVE MEANS FOR CONTROLLING FLOW OF WATER THROUGH THE SECOND HOSE BRANCH, SAID VALVE MEANS NORMALLY HOLDING THE SECOND BRANCH CLOSED AND BEING OPENED BY THE TIMING MEANS WHEN THE LATTER INITIATES THE SECOND TO OCCUR OF THE TWO WASHING OPERATIONS, THE FLOW OF WATER FROM THE PUMP THROUGH THE FIRST HOSE BRANCH BEING OBSTRUCTED ONLY BY THE DIRECTION CHANGE ENCOUNTERED IN THE T-FITTING, WITH THE PUMP OPERATIVE IN BOTH WASHING OPERATIONS TO SUPPLY WATER TO FLUSH DETERGENT FROM THE FIRST COMPARTMENT ONLY IN THE FIRST SCHEDULED SUCH OPERATION AND TO FLUSH THE DETERGENT FROM THE SECOND COMPARTMENT UPON OPENING OF THE PINCH VALVE IN THE SUBSEQUENT WASHING OPERATION, AND THE RESULTING LOSS OF HEAD IN THE LEG OF THE T-FITTING WITH THE STRAIGHT PASSAGE THEREOF THUS OPEN SUCH THAT THERE IS ONLY MINOR FLOW IN THE FIRST HOSE BRANCH IN SUCH LAST CONDITION OF THE APPARATUS.