Latch For Dishwasher Door

Abstract

A latch is operable for positively locking a front-opening, bottom-hinged dishwasher door in an open substantially horizontal position to prevent an upsetting of the appliance when an overload is applied to the open door. The door is locked relative to the cabinet so that the engagement of the door with the floor, after a small amount of tipping of the dishwasher, will prevent further tipping.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a latch for locking an open appliance door to prevent relative movement between the door and the cabinet structure for preventing an upsetting of the appliance.

2. Description of the Prior Art

It is common in the field of home dishwashers to provide an access opening in a sidewall and a closure member or door for selectively closing the access in the sidewall. Most frequently, the door is hinged to the cabinet structure and operates from a closed position to an open substantially horizontal position. An overload applied to the end of the outwardly extending door could upset the appliance and result in injury to persons close to the appliance and also result in damage to the appliance. The problem of upsetting the appliance could be overcome, as in prior art, by providing outrigging devices or bracing. The previously used devices, however, represent unattractive and expensive solutions to the problem and thus there remains a need to provide an improved means for preventing the upsetting of an appliance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object to provide a device for locking a dishwasher door in the open substantially horizontal position to limit the tipping of the appliance and thereby prevent an upsetting of the appliance; and

It is a further object of the instant invention to provide a hinge latch means for locking an appliance door in a substantially horizontal open position to prevent movement of the door relative to the cabinet.

These objects are achieved in a dishwasher having a bottom-hinged door on one side of the cabinet structure and having a latch means positively engageable at an open position of the door to lock the door against movement relative to the cabinet structure for limiting tipping of the appliance under an overload on the open door to prevent an upsetting of the appliance.

Operation of the device and further objects and advantages thereof will become evident as the description proceeds and from an examination of the accompanying page of drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention with similar numerals referring to similar parts throughout the several views, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view of a dishwasher appliance having portions broken away to show the instant invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing in greater detail the latching of the invention shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view of a dishwasher as in FIG. 1 and showing the position of the dishwasher appliance responsive to an overload applied to the door; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the instant invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1 there is shown a fragmentary portion of a dishwashing appliance. A cabinet structure 10 supportable on a horizontal surface 11 includes a tublike member 13 defining a washing chamber, a supporting frame 14 for supporting said tub member 13 on a plurality of casters or rollers 15, a housing 16 enclosing the tub member 13 and tub-supporting frame 14, and a removable lower front panel 19.

The cabinet structure 10 defines an access opening into the washing chamber on one of the substantially vertical sides of the cabinet structure. A door 23, shown partially in FIG. 1 in the generally horizontal open position, is mounted on the cabinet structure 10 and includes a seal member 24 for sealing the access opening upon movement of the door 23 to a substantially vertical closed position. The front side of the appliance will be considered that side having the access opening and the door 23.

Means are provided for hinging the door 23 to the cabinet structure 10 through a pair of hinges each of which includes a hinge bracket 26 fixed to the cabinet structure 10. A hinge pin 29 is in turn fixed to the hinge bracket 26. Fixed to the movable door 23 is a bracket member 30 including a slotted pivot portion 31 engageable with the hinge pin 29 for supporting the lower end of the door 23 on the hinge brackets 26.

The bracket member 30 attached to the door also includes an arcuate arm portion 33 extending through an opening 34 in the flange 35 of the cabinet structure. The end of the arcuate arm portion 33 receives one end of a spring member 39 attached at the other end to the mounting means 14. The spring member 39 partially compensates for the weight of the door 23 in the open position and biases the door toward the closed position. The rear end of the arm member is also formed with a depending portion 40 to provide a stop engageable with the cabinet structure to limit the opening movement of the door.

In accordance with the instant invention a latching means 50 is positioned adjacent one hinge juxtaposed the rear end of the arcuate arm portion 33. An upward extension of the hinge bracket 26 is formed with a pair of outwardly extending flanges 51 and 52, as best shown in FIG. 2, for slidingly supporting a movable latch member 53. A biasing spring 54 is operatively positioned between the upper flange 51 and a pin 55 fixed to the latch member 53 to bias the latch member 53 in a downwardly direction into an engagement with a notch 56 near the rear end of the arcuate arm 33.

The latch member 53 is also formed with a finger grip 58 at its upper end for moving the latch member 53 out of engagement with the notch 56. The front flange 35 of the cabinet structure 10 is formed with a depression 60 and an opening 61 for receiving the finger grip 58 and permitting access to the finger grip 58 by the operator. The latch member 53 may be manually moved out of the notch 56 to permit closing of the appliance door 23.

It may thus be seen that the door 23 is for the most part freely movable relative to the cabinet structure 10 as the lower end of the latch member 53 rides along the outer surface of the arcuate arm portion 33. Upon movement of the door 23 to the substantially horizontal open position, however, the latch member 5 is biased into the notch 56 for positively locking the door in the open position generally perpendicular to the cabinet structure 10 as shown in FIG. 1. The position of the door, however, does not have to be exactly horizontal or exactly perpendicular to the cabinet structure to fall within the scope of the invention.

If an overload is then applied to the door, such as if a child stepped on the door or if an unusually heavy load was placed on the outer portion of the door, the door 23 is prevented from moving relative to the cabinet structure 10. Under excessive overloading the entire appliance will tip a limited amount to the position shown in FIG. 3; however, since the door 23 is locked with respect to the cabinet 10, further tipping of the appliance is prevented. Means will be provided to prevent the dishracks (not shown) from rolling out of the appliance, or if the rack is already out on the door, means on the door will prevent the rack from rolling off the door.

In the absence of the latching means 50 shown by the instant invention, an overload on the open door of a front opening dishwasher would cause tipping of the appliance to the position shown in FIG. 3 followed by the continued tipping of the cabinet structure 10 and the closing of the door 23 and resulting in a complete upsetting of the dishwasher. Serious injury to persons adjacent the appliance or damage to the appliance itself could result from such an upsetting.

An alternate embodiment is shown in FIG. 4 in which the door is movable to a first normally open position under normal loading of the appliance door in the open position. The door is located in this normally open position by a detent operation of a latching means similar to that shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. An arcuate member 70, similar to that shown in FIG. 1, includes a ramp portion 71 and a cam portion 72 defining a recess 73 for receiving the end of the biased latch member 53. The spring member 54 biases the latch member 53 into engagement with the arm 70 at the recess 73 and provides sufficient loading to maintain the door 23 in the normally open position under normal loading on the door.

If, however, an overload is applied to the door while in the normally open position, the biasing of the latch member 53 is overcome and the door 23 moves slightly and the latch member 53 rides up over the cam 72 and into the notch 74 formed in the arcuate arm 70. Engagement of the latch member 53 with the notch 74 positively locks the door 23 into a second open overload position as in FIG. 1. This embodiment of FIG. 4 eliminates the need for the operator releasing the latch after each normal door opening and requires use of the latch release only after an overload has been applied to the door 23.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and although specific terms are employed these are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Changes in form and the proportion of parts as well as the substitution of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention as further defined in the following claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. In a front-opening dishwasher movably supported on a generally horizontal supporting surface, the combination comprising: a cabinet structure having an access opening on a substantially vertical side; door means having a closed position for covering said access opening; hinge means juxtaposed to a lower portion of said door means for movably supporting said door means on said cabinet structure, said door means being operable from said closed position to an open position extending generally forwardly from said cabinet structure and spaced above said supporting surface; an arm member connected to said door means; and means engageable with said arm member for positively locking said door means in said open position to prevent movement of said door means relative to said cabinet structure upon tipping of said dishwasher and engagement of said door means with said supporting surface responsive to an overload on said door means whereby an upsetting of the dishwasher is prevented.

2. In a front-opening dishwasher as defined in claim 1 and further including stop means for limiting opening movement of said door means and positioning said door means in said open position for engagement of said locking means.

3. In a front-opening dishwasher as defined in claim 1 and further including manually operable means for releasing said locking means to facilitate movement of said door means to said closed position.

4. In a front-opening dishwasher movably supported on a generally horizontal supporting surface, the combination comprising: a cabinet structure having an access opening on a substantially vertical side; door means having a closed position for covering said access opening; hinge means juxtaposed to a lower portion of said door means for movably supporting said door means on said cabinet structure, said door means being operable from said closed position to an open position extending generally forwardly from said cabinet structure and spaced above said supporting surface; an arm member connected to said door means for movement therewith; and latch means mounted on said cabinet structure and positively engageable with said arm member when said door means is in said open position for locking said door means in said open position to prevent movement of said door means relative to said cabinet structure upon tipping of said dishwasher and engagement of said door means with said supporting surface responsive to an overload on said door means whereby an upsetting of the dishwasher is prevented.

5. In a front-opening dishwashing appliance as defined in claim 4 wherein said arm member includes a stop portion engageable with said cabinet structure for limiting the opening movement of said door means and for locating said door means to effect engagement of said latch means.

6. In a front-opening dishwasher movably supported on a generally horizontal supporting surface, the combination comprising: a cabinet structure having an access opening on a substantially vertical side; door means having a closed position for covering said access opening and a plurality of open positions for uncovering said access opening, said door means being substantially horizontal in one of said open positions and extending generally perpendicularly to said cabinet structure and spaced above said supporting surface; hinge means juxtaposed to a lower portion of said door means for movably supporting said door means on said cabinet structure an arm member connected to said door means; and means engageable with said arm member for positively locking said door means in said one open position to prevent movement of said door means relative to said cabinet structure upon tipping of said dishwasher and engagement of said door means with said supporting surface responsive to an overload on said door means whereby an upsetting of the dishwasher is prevented.

7. In a front-opening dishwasher as defined in claim 6 wherein said door means is operable to a first yieldingly detented normally open position and a second overload open position and wherein said latch means is operable for locking said door means in said second overload open position responsive to movement of said door means from said normally open position with an overload on said door means.