Apparatus for cleaning utensils or the like

Claim 1

An apparatus for cleaning articles, such as utensils or the like, especially laboratory utensils, said apparatus comprising: at least one rack for receiving articles to be cleaned, a nozzle system for delivering different treatment liquids for the treatment of the articles, separate conduits for the infeed of the different treatment liquids, said separate conduits having respective outlets, means for successively connecting said nozzle system with said separate conduits, wherein said nozzle system comprises a conduit system arranged at the rack and spray nozzles supplied by said conduit system, means defining a cleaning compartment, a conveyor mechanism for stepwise moving the rack through the cleaning compartment, and an inlet for said conduit system arranged at the rack such that during the conveying movement of the rack said inlet is successively connected in flow communication with respective outlets of the separate conduits, wherein the outlets of the separate conduits, viewed in the direction of movement of the conveyor mechanism, are arranged in a row behind one another at a first stationary coupling portion, and the inlet for the conduit system is arranged at a second coupling portion fixedly mounted at an associated movable rack such that said second coupling portion is capable of being brought into operable engagement with the first coupling portion and is displacable relative thereto in order to successively flow communicate the inlet with one of the outlets at the first coupling portion.

Claim 2

An apparatus for cleaning articles, such as utensils or the like, especially laboratory utensils, said apparatus comprising: at least one rack for receiving articles to be cleaned, a nozzle system for delivering different treatment liquids for the treatment of the articles, separate conduits for the infeed of the different treatment liquids, said separate conduits having respective outlets, means for successively connecting said nozzle system with said separate conduits, wherein said nozzle system comprises a conduit system arranged at the rack and spray nozzles supplied by said conduit system, means defining a cleaning compartment, a conveyor mechanism for stepwise moving the rack through the cleaning compartment, and an inlet for said conduit system arranged at the rack such that during the conveying movement of the rack said inlet is successively connected in flow communication with respective outlets of the separate conduits, wherein the outlets of the separate conduits, viewed in the direction of movement of the conveyor mechanism, are arranged in a row behind one another at a first stationary coupling portion, and the inlet for the conduit system is arranged at a second coupling portion fixedly mounted at an associated movable rack such that said second coupling portion is capable of being brought into operable engagement with the first coupling portion and is displacable relative thereto in order to successively flow communicate the inlet with one of the outlets at the first coupling portion.