GLASS AND STEMWARE SOFT TOUCH HOLDING SYSTEM

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to a glass support for a dishwasher and, more specifically, to a stemware support. Stemware can be damaged if it is moved in a dishwasher rack. This damage can happen before, during, or even after the dishwasher cleaning cycle. Mechanisms to position the stem of the stemware in a dishwasher exists, but the rim of the glass or stemware can still be damaged by contact with the dishwasher rack ands/or other item sin the dishwasher. Thus, providing a mechanism to support the rim to reduce the chances of damage would be advantageous.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

One aspect of the present disclosure is a dishwasher insert. The dishwasher insert has a base section made of a rigid material. The base section has a plurality of spaced apart hooks for coupling the base section to a dishwasher rack. The dishwasher insert has a flexible section made of a flexible material. The flexible material has a plurality of grooves for engaging the rim of a glass.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is a dishwasher rack. The dishwasher rack has a wire frame housing with a plurality of horizontal members and a plurality of vertical wire members. At least one dishwasher insert is coupled to the dishwasher rack. The dishwasher insert has a base section made of a rigid material. The base section has a plurality of spaced apart hooks for coupling the base section to one or more of the plurality of horizontal wire members. The dishwasher insert has a flexible section made of a flexible material. The flexible material has a plurality of grooves for engaging the rim of a glass. At least one clip member is coupled to one or more of the horizontal wire members of the dishwasher rack. The clip member has a generally horizonal slot for receiving the one or more horizontal wire members of the dishwasher rack, and a first groove for receiving a stem of a glass.

Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is a dishwasher rack. The dishwasher rack has a wire frame housing having a plurality of horizontal wire members and a plurality of vertical wire members. At least one dishwasher insert is coupled to the dishwasher rack. The dishwasher insert has a base section coupled to the wire frame housing and a flexible section extending above a top wall of the base section, made of a flexible material for supporting the rim of a glass. At least one clip member is coupled to the wire frame housing, the clip member having a first groove for receiving the stem of the glass.

These and other features, advantages, and objects of the present disclosure will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following specification, claims, and appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a dishwasher rack with several pieces of stemware, several clips, and a dishwasher insert;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the dishwasher rack shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the dishwasher rack in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is side view of the dishwasher rack shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the dishwasher rack taken along line V-V of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of the clip shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a side perspective view of the clip;

FIG. 8 is a side view of the clip;

FIG. 9 is another side view of the clip;

FIG. 10 is a top view of the clip;

FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the clip;

FIG. 12 is a side view of the clip;

FIG. 13 Is another side view of the clip;

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the clip taken along line XIV-XIV of FIG. 10;

FIG. 15 is a bottom view of the dishwasher insert;

FIG. 16 is another bottom view of the dishwasher insert;

FIG. 17 is a front view of the dishwasher insert;

FIG. 18 is a back view of the dishwasher insert;

FIG. 19 is a rotated back view of the dishwasher insert;

FIG. 20 is a side view of the dishwasher insert;

FIG. 21 is a top view of the dishwasher insert;

FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view of the dishwasher insert taken along line XXII-XXII of FIG. 21;

FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view of the dishwasher insert taken along line XXIII-XXIII of FIG. 21.

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

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present illustrated embodiments reside primarily in combinations of method steps and apparatus components related to a stemware support system in a dishwasher. 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

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.

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.

Referring to FIGS. 1-5, reference numeral 2 generally designates a dishwasher rack. the dishwasher rack 2 is illustrated as a conventional dishwasher rack 2 with rails 4 and tines 6. In the illustrated embodiment, the dishwasher rack 2 has a number of horizontal rails 4 and vertical rails 4 that form a generally rectangular housing with four sides. The dishwasher rack 2 can have other shapes or features.

A number of glasses 8 can be inserted into the dishwasher rack 2. In the illustrated embodiment, the glasses 8 are stemware with a stem 10, a bottom 13, and a rim 12. The glasses 8 could be non-stemmed glasses. As illustrated in FIGS. 1-5, the glasses 8 are inserted with the rim 12 facing toward the bottom of the dishwasher rack 2. The stem 10 can be held by a clip 14 and the rim 12 can rest on a dishwasher insert 20.

The clip 14 is illustrated as coupling to the top horizontal rail 4 of a side of the dishwasher rack 2. However, the clip 14 could be inserted on a lower horizontal rail 4. The clip 14 has a horizontal slot 40 that receives the horizontal rail 4. The horizontal slot 40 has a more narrow section 42 that engages the sides of rail 4. The horizontal slot 40 can flex to permit the clip 14 to snap fit onto the horizontal rail 4. The clip 14 also has a vertical slot 44 that can engage a vertical rail 4. The vertical slot 44 has an opening 60 (shown in FIGS. 10 and 11) to permit the clip 14 to be installed around one of the vertical rails 4. Thus the clip 14 can be supported by a number of different rails 4.

The clip 14 has a first groove 48 that is positioned between first extension 50 and second extension 52. In the illustrated embodiments, the stem 10 of the glass 8 is closely received in the first groove 48. The clip 14 has a second groove 46 that is positioned behind the first groove 48. An opening 56 in the side of the clip 14 permits the stem 10 of a glass 8 to alternatively be received in the second groove 46. The opening 56 is illustrated as being positioned next to a third extension 54. The grooves 46 and 48 can be the same size or different sizes. The grooves 46 and 48 allow the engagement of the stem 10 of the glass 8 at different angles.

The dishwasher insert 20 is illustrated in FIGS. 15-23. The dishwasher insert 20 includes a base 72 and a flexible section 70. The base 72 is made of a hard rigid material, such as plastic. In the illustrated embodiment, the material is a polypropylene with 20% talc. The flexible section 70 is made from a soft, flexible material. In the illustrated embodiment, the material is a thermoplastic olefin (TPO). The flexible section 70 can be over-molded onto the hard rigid material of the base 72. Alternatively, the flexible material can be inserted into or otherwise coupled with the base 72. In the illustrated embodiments, the flexible section 70 extends above an upper surface 80 of the base 72. The lower surface 82 of the base 72 is positioned over the bottom surface of the dishwasher rack 2.

The flexible section 70 has a number of spaced apart grooves 24 that can receive a portion of the rim 12 of the glass 8. The grooves 24 can be positioned between ridges 22 in the flexible material 70. The base 72 has a number of slots 60, openings 62, and hooks 32 to engage wire rails 4 of the dishwasher rack 2 to help secure and position the dishwasher insert 20 on the dishwasher rack 2. In the illustrated embodiment, the hook 32 extends above the upper section 80 of the base 72. The hooks 32 and the slots 60 can engage with rails 4 that are perpendicular to each other. Thus, the openings in the hooks 32 and the slots 60 are generally perpendicular to each other.

The flexible section 70 supports the rim 12 of the glass 8 to prevent the rim 12 from being damaged. When the dishwasher insert 20 and clip 14 are used on a glass 8, the glass 8 should stay relatively stationary during a wash cycle thereby reducing the chance of damage to the glass 8. While the illustrated embodiment shows the dishwasher insert 20 on one side of the dishwasher rack 2, two or more dishwasher inserts 20 may be used on a dishwasher rack 2. For example, the dishwasher rack inserts 20 could be positioned on opposite sides of the dishwasher rack 2 or on adjacent sides.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure is a dishwasher insert. The dishwasher insert has a base section made of a rigid material. The base section having a plurality of spaced apart hooks for coupling said base section to a dishwasher rack. A flexible section made of a flexible material, said flexible material having a plurality of grooves for engaging the rim of a glass.

According to another aspect, the dishwasher insert includes plurality of grooves between raised ridges.

According to another aspect, the flexible material is a thermoplastic olefin that is over-molded on said base.

According to another aspect, the rigid material is a polypropylene which contains 20% talc.

According to another aspect, the base section includes a plurality of spaced apart slots.

According to another aspect, the flexible material extends above a top surface of said base section adjacent to said plurality of spaced apart hooks.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, a dishwasher rack. The dishwasher rack having a wire frame housing having a plurality of horizontal members and a plurality of vertical wire members. At least one dishwasher insert having a base section made of a rigid material, said base section having a plurality of spaced apart hooks for coupling said base section to one or more of said plurality of horizontal wire members. A flexible section is made of a flexible material, said flexible material having a plurality of grooves for engaging the rim of a glass. At least one clip member is coupled to one or more horizontal wire members. The clip member having a generally horizonal slot for receiving said one or more horizontal wire members, and a first groove for receiving a stem of said glass.

According to another aspect, the clip member has a generally vertical opening for receiving a portion of said wire frame.

According to another aspect, the clip member includes a second groove, positioned behind said first groove.

According to another aspect, the generally horizontal slot in said clip member includes a smaller diameter section.

According to another aspect, the base section has a plurality of spaced apart slots for coupling said base section to one or more of said plurality of vertical wire members.

According to another aspect, the flexible material extends above a top surface of said base section adjacent to said plurality of spaced apart hooks.

According to another aspect, the dishwasher insert is positioned on the sides of said dishwasher rack.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, is a dishwasher rack. The dishwasher rack having a wire frame housing having a plurality of horizontal wire members and a plurality of vertical wire members. At least one dishwasher insert having a base section coupled to said wire frame housing and a flexible section extending above a top wall of said base section, made of a flexible material for supporting the rim of a glass. At least one clip member is coupled to said wire frame housing, said clip member having a first groove for receiving the stem of said glass.

According to another aspect, the clip member has a tapered horizontal slot for engaging said wire frame housing.

According to another aspect, the dishwasher rack includes two dishwasher inserts positioned on two sides of said wire frame housing.

According to another aspect, the at least one clip member has a second groove positioned behind said first groove.

According to another aspect, the flexible material includes a plurality of spaced apart grooves.

According to another aspect, the at least one clip member is installed on an upper wire rail of one side of said wire frame housing.

According to another aspect, the dishwasher insert includes a plurality of slots of receiving one or more wire members.

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.

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.

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.

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.