APPLICATION FOR A UTILITY PATENT APPLICATION

FOR

(A) Krystal Kleen

Inventor: Elaine McNamara, Lee, Massachusetts

(B) CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

Not Applicable

(C) FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

(D) MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not Applicable

(E) BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to dishwasher rack assembly and, in particular, to a dishwasher rack assembly for supporting stemware.

(2) BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Connoisseurs of fine wines and other spirits often collect fine glassware to complement the beverage. The variety of glassware available to the connoisseur can range widely in styles, shapes, stem lengths, and price. In a fine restaurant, a sommelier would often serve wine in a specific wine glass or stemware that is designed to extract the best essence and bouquet for enjoyment by the diners and which is complementary with the food. Such an experience can be reproduced at home with the appropriate glassware. However, some care must be exercised when handling and cleaning the stemware or glassware due to their delicate nature.

This is especially evident with the more expensive crystal glassware, because accidental breakage of such glassware can be a significant financial and/or sentimental loss. In most households, the user typically employs a dishwasher to clean the glassware, since the dishwasher is a very convenient appliance for such tasks. Unfortunately, most dishwashers do not have a rack that can safely hold the glassware in a manner that will prevent damage while maintaining satisfactory cleaning of the glassware. The standard racks in most dishwashers are usually not specifically designed to stably hold stemware. Instead, they are designed to be generic, and are capable of holding glassware of various types, e.g., mugs, tumblers, etc. Of course, handwashing the glassware is another method of cleaning, but that can be a time consuming chore. Moreover, there is a greater chance that the glassware may accidentally slip from one's hands and break during the process of washing if one is not careful. Due to the above, it would be a benefit in the art of glassware care to provide a dishwashing rack that is capable of holding stemmed glassware in a manner that substantially reduces risks or prevents breakage during the washing process.

Thus, a glassware rack for dishwashing machines solving the aforementioned problems is desired. (F) SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention, therefore, has as its principal objective to provide a rack assembly that is configured to slidably mount inside of a dishwasher, thereby permitting washing and drying of the stemware.

An additional objective of the present invention is that the rack securely holds the stemware, thereby preventing chipping and breakage of the stemware.

Another objective of the present invention is that the stemware could be easily and safely mounted in the rack.

Still another objective of the present invention is that the rack could be easily adjusted according to the size of the dishwasher. A further objective of present invention is that the rack assembly could support various sizes of stemware.

Another objective of present invention is that the rack assembly minimizes the movement of the supported stemware while washing in the dishwasher.

Yet another objective of present invention is that the rack assembly is economic to manufacture.

Certain embodiments of present invention provide a rack assembly for use in supporting stemware in a stable, inverted, and vertical or slightly slanting position, wherein the rack assembly is configured to slidably mount in the dishwasher for washing and drying stemware. The rack assembly is comprised of a wire frame with a top side, bottom side, and parallel left, right front, and rear sides. The front side of the wire frame is open. The top side of the wireframe is comprised of at least one row, wherein each row is comprised of two parallel elongated supporting bars that extend from the rear side of the wire frame to the front side of wire frame. Each row is closed in the rear side and opened in front side, and the two parallel elongated bars are spaced apart such that to slidably receive the stem of the stemware from the front side of the wire frame. Each of the supporting bars is interrupted at pre-determined intervals to form loops, and each loop is configured to receive the stem of the stemware and support the stemware in an inverted hanging position.

In another embodiment, the left and right sides of the wireframe include rails, and each rail includes plurality of wheels configured to slide into the rack mounting frame of a conventional dishwasher. The wheels could be extended outwards to adjust the rack assembly of present assembly into a conventional dishwasher.

In another embodiment, the front portion of the row is further comprised of an elongated hook that is hinged to one of the supporting bar and latches to the opposite supporting bar to thereby close the open front of the row.

In other embodiments, the loops are configured to suspend the stemware in an inverted and vertical position, or slightly slanting position, i.e. the stemware could be oriented at an angle from the vertical position of the stemware.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the wire assembly is further comprised of a plurality of clip members that are positioned adjacent to the loops and hinged to the supporting bars. The clip member is configured to pivot and press against the bottom surface of base of the stemware to prevent the stemware from shaking or moving while the dishwasher is operated. The surface of the clip in contact with the base of stemware could further include a cushioning layer.

In addition to the various objectives and advantages of the present invention, described with some degree of specificity above, it should be obvious that additional objectives and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those persons who are skilled in the relevant art from the following more detailed description of the invention.

(G) BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To further clarify various aspects of some example embodiments of the present invention, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which are illustrated in the appended drawing. It is appreciated that the drawing depicts only illustrated embodiments of the invention, and is, therefore, not to be considered limiting of its scope. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawing, in which: Fig. 1 shows the perspective view of the wireframe according to the rack assembly of the present invention.

(H) DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a rack assembly for supporting a large amount of stemware that is configured to slidably mount in a conventional dishwasher for washing and drying the stemware.

Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description. The invention is capable of other embodiments, and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description, and should not be regarded as limiting.

As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include plural referents, unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art, and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

Referring to Fig. 1 the rack assembly according to present invention includes a rigid wireframe. The box shaped wireframe, as shown in the figure, includes six sides defining the volume of the wireframe, i.e. a top side, bottom side and four parallel sides. Multiple rigid wires run from the bottom edge to the upper edge of the wireframe, and a single wire runs parallel to the top and bottom edge. They are spaced equally from the top and bottom edge, thereby defining the left, rear, and right sides of the wireframe. The bottom surface is comprised of multiple rigid wires running between opposite edges i.e. from left edge to right edge and rear edge to the front edge. The front side is open and includes a bottom edge, left edge, and right edge.

The top side of the frame includes two rows extending from the rear side to the front side of the wire frame. Each row includes two parallel elongated supporting bars extending from the rear side to the front side. One of the supporting bars is supported on the top edge of rear side of the wireframe and the side edge of front side of the wireframe. The other supporting bar is supported on the top edge of the rear side of the wireframe and the bottom edge of the front frame through vertical rigid wires. The parallel supporting bars are spaced apart such that a stemware could be slid along the stem of the stemware in between the parallel supporting bars. Moreover, the space between the parallel supporting bars should be enough to receive different sized stems of stemware. Each of the rows is closed in the rear and opened in the front, which allows the stemware to slide from the front of the row towards the rear side.

Each of the supporting bars is interrupted at predetermined intervals, as shown in the figure, to form loops. The loops are configured to receive the stem of the stemware from open side of the loop and support the stemware in an inverted position, wherein the stemware could hang with the base of the stemware supported on the loop. Each of the supporting bars could contain multiple loops spaced apart such as the adjacent stemware supported on the loops is sufficiently spaced apart during washing in the dishwasher. This would prevent any damage to the stemware while washing due to collision with other stemware. Preferably, the wireframe is square or rectangular in shape, with the corners of the wireframe smoothened for the safety of the user. Furthermore, the vertical edges of the wireframe could be rounded, as shown in the figure, wherein the left and right edges of the front side of the wireframe are rounded. The wireframe could be made from a material that is rigid and could sustain chemicals used in washing as well as elevated temperatures, such as stainless steel. The outer frame may be formed with covered or coated wire (e.g., vinyl or other polymer coatings) that is lightweight yet sturdy for extensive use. However, other materials such as sturdy plastic, steel, wood, and composites may be used as alternatives.

The rack assembly further includes a clip member that is positioned adjacent to the loop, and each loop may contain an adjacent clip member. The clip member is hinged to the supporting bar such that clip member could pivot between an engaged and unengaged position. In the engaged position, the clip member firmly presses against the base of the stemware, which is mounted in the loop. The clip member secures the mounted stemware and prevents any shaking and movement of the stemware when the rack assembly is mounted inside the dishwasher and when the dishwasher is operated. This prevents any chipping or breakage of the glassware due to shaking or colliding with other stemware. The surface are of the clip member in contact with the base of stemware may further include a cushioning layer, such as a plastic or rubber layer, which further helps to keep the stemware stationary. The clip could be made from plastic or metal.

The front portion of the row, i.e. the front side of the wireframe, further includes an elongated hook. The elongated hook is used to close the front opening of the rows from where the stemware was slide into the rows for mounting on the loops. If the front is kept open, there may be a risk during washing that the stemware may dismount from the loop and slide out of the row, causing damage to the stemware. Thus, a hook may be mounted on one of the supporting bar in hinged manner which can pivot and removably latch to the opposite supporting bar, thereby closing the passage.

The arrangement of the supporting bars is configured to provide easy and quick access to the loops. Initially, it is noted that while only a pair of rows are shown in the drawings, it is to be understood that the stemware rack includes a plurality of rows along the width thereof. Moreover, the rack assembly may contain a plurality of mounting bars arranged in width of the wireframe. To facilitate the quick mounting of the glasses, the loops of each adjacent bar are staggered, and the openings of the loops face each other. In this manner, the user can utilize the space between adjacent mounting bars to quickly and easily mount the glasses onto the respective loops. To further ease access, the front side of the supporting rack is open.

To ease handling of the rack assembly, the wireframe includes a pair of rollers or wheels on either side of the box frame and a handle at appropriate positions. The rollers are adapted to ride on or in the rails of the dishwasher to mount the rack assembly inside the dishwasher. The handle may extends above the top of the wireframe to dispose the handle at a more comfortable elevation for the user to push or pull the glassware rack in and out of the dishwasher along the rails or guide tracks. The rollers or wheels may be extendable outwards to accommodate the rack assembly in different sized conventional dishwashers. This makes the present invention versatile which could be used in most types of conventional dishwashers or may be sold as an accessory with a new dishwasher. As an alternative, the rack assembly may be collapsible to provide additional storage and handling options.

It is to be understood that the rack assembly encompasses a variety of alternatives. For example, the rack assembly may include a variety of shapes apart from the straight rigid wires or supporting bars as shown in the drawing. Similarly, the box wireframe includes any box-like shape that can support the mounting supporting bar and the glasses. Moreover, the rack assembly may be used to store glassware in various environments, including cabinets or as part of a bar layout. The wireframe and mounting bar may also be made with other materials, such as plastic, metal, wood, and/or composites. Existing racks can also be retrofitted with or include the configuration of, inter alia, the loops and the clips to securely store and hold glassware. Furthermore, the rack assembly may include various forms of indicia and color.

Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they can readily use the disclosed conception and specific embodiment as a basis for designing or modifying other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention, and that such other structures do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form.