DISHWASHER WITH VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE DISH RACK

摘要

A dish rack is supported for vertical movement relative to a dishwasher tub between lowered and raised positions. To raise the rack, spring biased locking levers provided on side walls of the dish rack are pivoted to cause wing members of the locking levers to release locking tabs, extending in a cantilevered fashion from locking straps secured to the rack, from locking openings provided in adjuster arms which are fixed vertically relative to the tub, thereby disengaging the locking straps from the adjuster arms to enable the rack to be lifted to the raised position. To lower the rack, the locking levers are again pivoted to reposition support members of the locking straps into positions offset from the adjuster arms, thereby enabling the rack to be guided to the lowered position where the locking tabs automatically engage the adjuster arms.

主权项

1. A dishwasher (2) comprising:
a tub (5) having at least bottom (8), top (12), rear (11) and side (9, 10) walls that collectively define a washing chamber (14); a dish rack (16) in the washing chamber having a horizontal wire (122) parallel to each side wall; and a height adjustment system including first and second height adjustment mechanisms provided along the dish rack at the horizontal wires for vertically shifting the dish rack between lowered and raised positions relative to the tub, each of said first and second height adjustment mechanisms including:
an adjuster arm (300) slidably mounted to the dish rack and fixed vertically relative to the tub, the adjuster arm including at least one catch (351);at least one stop (395, 396) disposed to engage the at last one catch (351); anda locking lever (315) disposed for pivotal movement relative to the rack, between an engaging position and a release position, the locking lever disposed to urge the at least one stop to engage the at least one catch,wherein, when the locking lever is in the release position, the at least one stop is free from engagement with the at least one catch so that the dish rack is vertically adjustable relative to the adjuster arm and when the locking lever is in the engaging position, the at least one stop engages the at least one catch so that the dish rack is vertically locked relative to the adjuster arm.