1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to racking systems or dishracks for dishwashing appliances and in particular to dishwasher racks having pivotable fence assemblies which enhance the loading flexibility of the racks.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the design of dishwasher racks it has generally been industry practice to design racks with dish support members arranged for loading xe2x80x9cstandardxe2x80x9d dish sizes. It is, however, likely that most households will include some xe2x80x9cnon-standardxe2x80x9d dishes as well as various odd shaped cooking utensils which will not load properly in a dishwasher rack designed for only xe2x80x9cstandardxe2x80x9d dishes. To alleviate the problem presented by xe2x80x9cnon-standardxe2x80x9d dishes and other cooking utensils, several rack designs have evolved which have included movable or adjustable portions.
Geiger et al, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,269,548 issued Aug. 30, 1966, teach a rack system which is vertically adjustable within the dishwasher to accommodate large articles. The upper rack also includes several pivoted divider members. Each of the pivoted divider members is formed of wire members and is supported on the upper rack by a pair of hinge clips secured to the base of the wire rack for supporting the ends of the pivoted divider members. A separate sheet metal detent member is positioned at the end of the rack for holding the pivoted divider members in the upright position.
Smith, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,402,975 issued Sep. 24, 1968, teaches a top loading dishwasher having two levels of dishracks. Access to the lower dishrack is attained by utilizing a horizontally movable rack in cooperation with a hinged shelf which is pivotally supported between a pair of the dishwasher side walls at one end and by a portion of the movable rack at the other end. The hinged shelf includes a pair of pivotal divider assemblies each of which may be maintained in an upright posture by a detent assembly at one end of the divider assembly.
Fiocca et al, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,752,322 issued Aug. 14, 1973, teach a dishwasher rack construction in which a pivoted element can be retained in one of a plurality of intermediate positions by an arcuate toothed member located at the front of the rack.
Yake, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,046,261 issued Sep. 6, 1977, discloses a dishwasher rack which includes a pair of brackets fixed to the bottom of the rack and having molded slots and retainers for receiving a plurality of fences in a plurality of positions. These fences are either vertically mounted between the pair of brackets or are removed from the dishwasher rack. There is no pivotal movement of individual fences but only selective use of these fences for adjusting the distance between adjacent fences and between the rack side walls.
Prior patents show that considerable effort has been focused on the development of dishwasher racks and on the development of dishwasher racks which include flexible or variable spacing arrangements for accommodating a variety of dish loads.
It is therefore an object of the instant invention to provide an improved dishwasher rack with pivotable fences.
It is a further object of the instant invention to provide a dishwasher rack with a plurality of fences which are pivoted about a common axis.
It is a still further object of the instant invention to provide a dishwasher rack with a pivotable fence wherein the pivotable fence is positively secured to the dishwasher rack in a unique and simple manner.
According to the present invention, the foregoing and other objects are attained a dishwasher rack which includes a basket having a plurality of wires forming a bottom wall, a pair of side walls and a front and back wall. The bottom wall has a plurality of upwardly oriented tines connected to and extending from the bottom wall in a first area and further has an open area without upwardly oriented tines. A first fence is provided having an axle wire and a plurality of support wires. The axle wire is rotatably supported adjacent the bottom wall such that the first fence may be rotated between a front position and a back position. A second fence is provided having a connection wire and a plurality of support wires. The connection wire is rotatably connected to axle wire such that the second fence may rotate about the axle wire between a front position and a back position. The first fence and second fence may be rotated to the first position such that the support wires of the first fence and the support wires of the second fence form an upstanding array for supporting dishes. Alternatively, one or both of the first fence and second fence may be rotated to the back position.
The first fence is connected to the basket without the need for additional clips. In particular, the ends of the axle wire are captured in sockets formed by the combination of the basket and wheel assemblies. The second fence may connect to the first fence without the use of clips or, alternatively, with the use of clips.