Dishwasher door counterbalance arrangement

Claim 2

In a dishwasher including a forwardly-open-face tub and a door for closing said tub face and hinged adjacent its lower edge, a counterbalancing arrangement for at least one side of said door, comprising: a lever arm fixed to said door at a side thereof adjacent the lower portion and having an end portion movable through an arc in accordance with door movement; a tension spring for counterbalancing said door at a side of said tub, said spring having a fixed lower end; means for guiding the upper end of said spring for movement along an axis substantially coincidence with the axis of said spring; and pivotal means having a lower end portion connected to said upper end of said spring, and having an upper end portion connected to said lever arm end portion so that said pivotal means pivots at both connections to accommodate the varying perpendicular distance between said axis and points along said arc.

Claim 3

In a dishwasher according to claim 1: said guiding means includes a channel-shaped support leg for said tub, with said channel being outwardly open.

Claim 4

In a dishwasher according to claim 2: said arc has end points, corresponding to opposite positions of said door, facing an area spanned by the width of the channel of said support leg.

Claim 5

In a dishwasher according to claim 2: said spring is nested in part at least in said channel of said support leg.

Claim 6

In a dishwasher including a forwardly-open face tub and a door for closing said tub face, said door having a hinge axis adjacent its lower edge, a counterbalance arrangement for at least one side of said door, comprising: a vertically-disposed leg adjacent the tub front and extending upwardly along a siDe of said tub; a lever arm fixed to the side of said door, said arm being dimensioned and located that its end portion remote from the door moves through an arc, as said door is moved between its opposite positions, generally following said leg; a tension spring having its lower end fixed adjacent the lower portion of said leg; pivotal connector means having one portion slidable along said leg and having the upper end of said spring pivotally connected thereto, and having another portion pivotally connected to said end portion of said lever arm and pivotal about the connection between said one portion and said spring so that said spring is stretched and relaxed along its axis without angular displacement therefrom as said end portion of said lever arm is moved throughout its said arc, said pivotal connector pivoting about both of its said connections to accommodate the varying perpendicular distance between said axis and points along said arc.

Claim 7

In a dishwasher including a forwardly-open face tub and a door for closing said tub face, said door having a hinge axis adjacent its lower edge, a counterbalance arrangement for at least one side of said door, comprising: a vertically-disposed leg adjacent the tub front and extending upwardly along a siDe of said tub; a lever arm fixed to the side of said door, said arm being dimensioned and located that its end portion remote from the door moves through an arc, as said door is moved between its opposite positions, generally following said leg; a tension spring having its lower end fixed adjacent the lower portion of said leg; pivotal connector means having one portion slidable along said leg and having the upper end of said spring pivotally connected thereto, and having another portion pivotally connected to said end portion of said lever arm and pivotal about the connection between said one portion and said spring so that said spring is stretched and relaxed along its axis without angular displacement therefrom as said end portion of said lever arm is moved throughout its said arc, said pivotal connector pivoting about both of its said connections to accommodate the varying perpendicular distance between said axis and points along said arc.

Claim 8

In a dishwasher according to claim 5: said leg is an outwardly-open, channel-shaped member in horizontal cross-section; and said one portion of said pivotal connector means is received at least partly in said channel.

Claim 9

In a dishwasher having a forwardly-open face tub and a door having a lower edge hinge axis for closing said tub, a counterbalance arrangement comprising: a lever arm fixed to each of the opposite sides of said door, each arm having an end portion remote from said door; a tension spring at each of the corresponding opposite sides of said tub for counterbalancing said door; a vertically-disposed support leg at each side of said tub adjacent the front thereof; means fastening the lower end of said spring to the lower portion of said leg; pivotal connector means for connecting the upper end of said spring to said end portion of said lever arm at two pivotal connection locations, said connector means including a slider portion confined by said leg to movement along an axis coincident with the axis of said spring, said connector means including another portion pivotally connected to said lever arm end portion to provide one of said pivotal connection locations, and pivotal about the axis of connection of the upper end of said spring to said connector means to provide the other of said pivotal connection locations, both said pivotal connections pivoting during door movement to accommodate the perpendicular distance between the axis of said spring and various points along the arc of movement of said end portion as said door is moved.

Claim 10

In a dishwasher having a forwardly-open face tub and a door having a lower edge hinge axis for closing said tub, a counterbalance arrangement comprising: a lever arm fixed to each of the opposite sides of said door, each arm having an end portion remote from said door; a tension spring at each of the corresponding opposite sides of said tub for counterbalancing said door; a vertically-disposed support leg at each side of said tub adjacent the front thereof; means fastening the lower end of said spring to the lower portion of said leg; pivotal connector means for connecting the upper end of said spring to said end portion of said lever arm at two pivotal connection locations, said connector means including a slider portion confined by said leg to movement along an axis coincident with the axis of said spring, said connector means including another portion pivotally connected to said lever arm end portion to provide one of said pivotal connection locations, and pivotal about the axis of connection of the upper end of said spring to said connector means to provide the other of said pivotal connection locations, both said pivotal connections pivoting during door movement to accommodate the perpendicular distance between the axis of said spring and various points along the arc of movement of said end portion as said door is moved.

Claim 11

In a dishwasher according to claim 7: said support leg comprises an outwardly-open channel, said slider portion being received in said channel.

Claim 12

In a dishwasher according to claim 8: said spring is in generally nested relation in said channel, but spaced from the walls forming said channel to avoid contact therebetween during stretching and relaxing said spring.

Claim 13

In a dishwasher according to claim 8: the end points of the arc of movement of said lever arm end portion, corresponding to said door being closed and alternatively open, lie between planes coincident with the opposite legs forming said channel.