Patent US2680224A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
Patent US3892453A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3892453A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Dishrack adjustment
Assignee: Fedders Corp
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Filing: 1974-10-07
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Granted: 1975-07-01
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Expires: 1994-10-07
Abstract
Abstract Means to adjust the vertical position of one or both sides of the upper dishrack in a front loading dishwasher. A rack gear and pinion gear arrangement is used on each side of the dishrack to couple a vertically movable bracket to a vertically fixed bracket. A control knob is rotated to rotate the pinion gear and to move the gear racks up or down to thereby adjust the height of the movable bracket and of the dishrack held by the movable bracket.
Inventors
- 👤 Thomas Edward Daily
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 10:39
CPC Classifications
A; A47; A47L; A47L15/00; A47L15/42; A47L15/50; A47L15/504; A47B; A47B88/00; A47B88/40; A47B88/407
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
292 words
In a dishwasher having a frame, a tub, upper and lower dishracks mounted in the tub, an improvement in the mechanism for adjusting the height of the upper dishrack comprising: first and second vertically movable dishrack support brackets on opposite sides of the tub, said movable brackets having a tub facing surface and an outboard surface, first and second dishrack support means attached to the tub facing surfaces of said first and second dishrack support brackets respectively, said support means being adapted to be attached to the side of a dishrack to hold said dishrack against vertical movement relative to said vertically movable support brackets, first and second rack gears attached to said outboard surfaces of said first and second movable support brackets respectively, each of said rack gears extending vertically along said outboard surfaces of said movable brackets, first and second vertically stationery support brackets coupled to the frame of the dishwasher for horizontal movement relative to the frame of said dishwasher, said vertically stationery support brackets spaced outboard from said outboard surfaces of said first and second vertically movable support brackets respectively, first and second rotatable pinion gears, each having an horizontal shaft, said shafts being mounted on respective ones of said vertically stationery support brackets, said pinion gears being permanently in engagement with said first and second rack gears respectively, said vertically movable support brackets being supported solely by the engagement of said rack gears and said pinion gears, first and second rotatable manual control means connected respectively to said first and second pinion shafts to permit operator rotation of said pinions to cause said movable support brackets to move vertically, and first and second holding means to hold said first and second pinion gears respectively against rotational movement.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
292 words
In a dishwasher having a frame, a tub, upper and lower dishracks mounted in the tub, an improvement in the mechanism for adjusting the height of the upper dishrack comprising: first and second vertically movable dishrack support brackets on opposite sides of the tub, said movable brackets having a tub facing surface and an outboard surface, first and second dishrack support means attached to the tub facing surfaces of said first and second dishrack support brackets respectively, said support means being adapted to be attached to the side of a dishrack to hold said dishrack against vertical movement relative to said vertically movable support brackets, first and second rack gears attached to said outboard surfaces of said first and second movable support brackets respectively, each of said rack gears extending vertically along said outboard surfaces of said movable brackets, first and second vertically stationery support brackets coupled to the frame of the dishwasher for horizontal movement relative to the frame of said dishwasher, said vertically stationery support brackets spaced outboard from said outboard surfaces of said first and second vertically movable support brackets respectively, first and second rotatable pinion gears, each having an horizontal shaft, said shafts being mounted on respective ones of said vertically stationery support brackets, said pinion gears being permanently in engagement with said first and second rack gears respectively, said vertically movable support brackets being supported solely by the engagement of said rack gears and said pinion gears, first and second rotatable manual control means connected respectively to said first and second pinion shafts to permit operator rotation of said pinions to cause said movable support brackets to move vertically, and first and second holding means to hold said first and second pinion gears respectively against rotational movement.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
74 words
The dishrack adjustment improvement of claim 1 wherein each of said holding means comprises: a resilient detent extending inboard from said stationary support bracket and engaging the gear teeth of said pinion gear, said detent being sufficiently resistant to deformation to hold said pinion gear against rotation induced by the weight of said dishrack when loaded and being sufficiently flexible to permit rotation of said pinion gear when said control means are manually rotated.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
163 words
The dishrack adjustment improvement of claim 1 further comprising: third and fourth rotatable pinion gears and third and fourth rack gears, said third pinion gear being mounted on the same shaft as and axially spaced from said first pinion gear, said fourth pinion gear being mounted on the same shaft as and axially spaced from said second pinion gear, front and rear end plates attached to and extending inboard from each of said vertically fixed brackets, front and rear stops attached to and extending inboard from each of said vertically fixed brackets, each of said four pinion gears being positioned between one of said end plates and one of said stops, third and fourth rack gears attached to said outboard surfaces of said first and second movable supports brackets respectfully, said third and fourth rack gears extended vertically along said outboard surfaces of said movable brackets, said third and fourth rack gears being permanently engaged with said third and fourth pinion gears respectively.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
113 words
The dishrack adjusting improvement of claim 1 wherein each of said holding means comprises: a rearwardly facing projection on said manual control means, a front plate attached to and extending inboard from said stationary support bracket, said plate having a plurality of forwardly facing openings positiOned and sized to receive said rearwardly facing projection, and resilient bias means tending to bias said control means in a rearward direction, the engagement of said projection and one of said openings holding said control means and associated one of said pinion shaft in position, said bias means being sufficiently resilient to permit disengagement of said projection and said openings under manual protraction of said control means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
91 words
The dishrack adjusting improvement in claim 1, wherein each of said holding means comprises: said pinion shaft being rectangular in cross-section, resilient bias means to bias said pinion shaft in a rearward direction, a rear plate attached to and extending inboard from said stationary support bracket, said plate having a star shaped opening positioned and sized to receive the rear end of said rectangular pinion shaft, said bias means being sufficiently resilient to permit disengaging of said pinion shaft and said star shaped opening under manual protraction of said control means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
88 words
The dishrack improvement of claim 1 wherein each of said locking means comprises: a rigid detent attached to and extending inbound from said stationary support bracket, said rigid detent being in normal engagement with the gear teeth of said pinion gear, resilient bias means biasing said pinion gear into a normal position in engagement with said rigid detent, said bias means being sufficiently resilient to permit axial movement of said pinion gear to a disengaging position relative to said rigid detent when said manual control means is protracted.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
95 words
The dishrack adjusting mechanism of claim 1 having a stop mechanism for each of said movable support brackets comprising: a vertically disposed plate attached to and extending inboard from said vertically movable bracket, said plate having a vertically elongated slot, said pinion shaft extending through said vertically elongated slot, downward movement of said vertically movable support bracket being limited by engagement between the upper end of said slot and said pinion shaft, upward movement of said vertically movable support bracket being limited by engagement between the lower end of said slot and said pinion shaft.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
95 words
The dishrack adjusting mechanism of claim 2 having a stop mechanism for each of said movable support brackets comprising: a vertically disposed plate attached to and extending inboard from said vertically movable bracket, said plate having a vertically elongated slot, said pinion shaft extending through said vertically elongated slot, downward movement of said vertically movable support bracket being limited by engagement between the upper end of said slot and said pinion shaft, upward movement of said vetically movable support bracket being limited by engagement between the lower end of said slot and said pinion shaft.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
95 words
The dishrack adjusting mechanism of claim 3 having a stop mechanism for each of said movable support brackets comprising: a vertically disposed plate attached to and extending inboard from said vertically movable bracket, said plate having a vertically elongated slot, said pinion shaft extending through said vertically elongated slot, downward movement of said vertically movable support bracket being limited by engagement between the upper end of said slot and said pinion shaft, upward movement of said vertically movable support bracket being limited by engagement between the lower end of said slot and said pinion shaft.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
95 words
The dishrack adjusting mechanism of claim 4 having a stop mechanism for each of said movable support brackets comprising: a vertically disposed plate attached to and extending inboard from said vertically movable bracket, said plate having a vertically elongated slot, said pinion shaft extending through said vertically elongated slot, downward movement of said vertically movable support bracket being limited by engagEment between the upper end of said slot and said pinion shaft, upward movement of said vertically movable support bracket being limited by engagement between the lower end of said slot and said pinion shaft.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
95 words
The dishrack adjusting mechanism of claim 5 having a stop mechanism for each of said movable support brackets comprising: a vertically disposed plate attached to and extending inboard from said vertically movable bracket, said plate having a vertically elongated slot, said pinion shaft extending through said vertically elongated slot, downward movement of said vertically movable support bracket being limited by engagement between the upper end of said slot and said pinion shaft, upward movement of said vertically movable support bracket being limited by engagement between the lower end of said slot and said pinion shaft.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
94 words
The dishrack adjusting mechanism of claim 6 having a stop mechanism for each of said movable support brackets comprising: a vertically disposed plate attached to and extending from said vertically movable bracket, said plate having a vertically elongated slot, said pinion shaft extending through said vertically elongated slot, downward movement of said vertically movable support bracket being limited by engagement between the upper end of said slot and said pinion shaft, upward movement of said vertically movable support bracket being limited by engagement between the lower end of said slot and said pinion shaft.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-06-30 | 1978-12-30 | 1979-07-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-06-30 | 1982-12-30 | 1983-07-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-06-30 | 1986-12-30 | 1987-07-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |