Low-capacity apparatus for washing objects

摘要

An appliance such as a dishwasher comprises an upper region and a lower region forming an appliance footprint. Positioned in the upper region is a spray arm assembly and a wash tub forming a wash zone. The wash zone has a low or reduced capacity, thereby holding fewer objects than conventional dishwashers but maintaining the appliance footprint so that the dishwasher fits an appliance opening, e.g., in kitchen cabinetry, that has a standard width dimension and a standard height dimension. In one embodiment, the wash zone has an opening through is received a rack, which supports the objects in the wash zone. The rack is moveable between a first position and a second position, and in one example, the rack is configured to move between the first position and the second position relative to the wash zone and independent of the spray arm assembly.

主权项

1. A dishwasher, comprising:
an upper region comprising a wash zone and a spray arm assembly that is configured to disperse a washing fluid into the wash zone; and a lower region adjacent and below the upper region, the lower region comprising a support structure, a machinery compartment, and a drawer including a solid bottom wall and solid opposing side walls, the solid bottom wall and the solid opposing side walls defining a dry storage area, wherein (i) the machinery compartment and the dry storage area are separated from one another by a portion of the support structure, (ii) the machinery compartment is located below the upper region and above the dry storage area and the dry storage area is located below the machinery compartment and above a support surface, (iii) the support structure supports washing components including at least one of a pump, a conduit, and a valve in the machinery compartment and (iv) the support structure positions the wash zone in spaced relation to the support surface, wherein the upper region and the lower region form an appliance footprint that is dimensioned with a height, a width, and a depth of the appliance footprint to fit snugly within a cabinet opening, wherein the wash zone has an opening defining a height and a width of the opening through which is received a rack, and wherein the rack is configured to move from a first position to a second position relative to the wash zone independent of the spray arm assembly, and wherein the solid bottom wall is dimensioned with a width substantially identical to the width of the appliance footprint.