Warewasher and Associated Door Construction

• US 20080210277A1
• Filed: 01/16/2008
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Premark FEG LLC (Illinois Tool Works Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Premark FEG LLC (Illinois Tool Works Inc.)
• Inventors: Kramer, Steven H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,500,917 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/198
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/247 Details specific to conveyor-type machines, e.g. curtains

Abstract

A warewasher for washing wares including a housing defining an internal space with at least one spray zone for washing wares. The housing includes an opening defined in part by a lower shelf. A liquid delivery system provides a spray of liquid within the spray zone. An access door has a vertically hinged connection to the housing to provide an open configuration that allows user access to the spray zone and a closed configuration that inhibits user access to the spray zone. The access door includes a threshold seal member at the bottom of the access door. The threshold seal member includes a lower sealing portion that mates with an upper surface of the shelf to provide a lower seal extending laterally along a width of the access door, and an inner sealing portion that cooperates with an inner edge the shelf to provide an inner seal extending laterally along the width of the access door. The inner seal located nearer the spray zone than the lower seal.

Claims

1. A warewasher for washing wares, the warewasher comprising:

a housing defining an internal space with at least one spray zone for washing wares, the housing including an opening defined in part by a lower shelf;

a liquid delivery system that provides a spray of liquid within the spray zone; and

an access door having a vertically hinged connection to the housing to provide an open configuration that allows user access to the spray zone and a closed configuration that inhibits user access to the spray zone, the access door including a threshold seal member at the bottom of the access door, the threshold seal member including a lower sealing portion that mates with an upper surface of the shelf to provide a lower seal extending laterally along a width of the access door, and an inner sealing portion that cooperates with an inner edge the shelf to provide an inner seal extending laterally along the width of the access door, the inner seal being located nearer the spray zone than the lower seal.

2. The warewasher of claim 1, wherein the lower sealing portion is a rib that extends downwardly from a bottom of the threshold seal member, the shelf including a groove that receives the rib with the door in the closed configuration.

3. The warewasher of claim 2, wherein the inner sealing portion is an edge seal member, wherein the edge seal member is sized and configured to extend over the inner edge of the shelf with the door in the closed configuration.

4. The warewasher of claim 3, wherein the access door includes a main body of metal and the threshold seal member comprises a plastic or rubber component connected at a bottom portion of the main body.

5. The warewasher of claim 3, wherein the vertically hinged connection is configured to allow for vertical movement of the access door, such vertical movement caused by sliding interaction between the threshold seal member and the shelf as the access door is moved between its open and closed configurations.

6. The warewasher of claim 5, wherein the vertically hinged connection includes hinge components configured to be removable from one side edge of the access door to an opposite side edge of the access door so that the access door can be reconfigured from a right-hand opening access door to a left-hand opening access door.

7. The warewasher of claim 6, wherein the access door further includes a graspable handle, the handle configured to be removable from the access door so that it can be repositioned on and reconnected to the access door when the access door is reconfigured from the right-hand opening access door to the left-hand opening access door.

8. The warewasher of claim 1, wherein the access door is a first access door, the warewasher further comprising

a second access door having a vertically hinged connection to the housing and including a threshold seal member at the bottom of the second access door, the threshold seal member of the second access door including a lower sealing portion that mates with the shelf and an inner sealing portion that cooperates with the inner edge of the shelf.

9. The warewasher of claim 1, wherein a tank is positioned below the spray zone and an upper portion of the tank forms the shelf.

10. The warewasher of claim 1 further comprising a labyrinth seal assembly extending vertically along a vertically oriented edge of the access door, the labyrinth seal assembly including a channel extending along a height of the access door, the channel being in communication with the spray zone so that liquid entering the channel along a leak path formed between the access door and the labyrinth seal assembly with the access door in its closed configuration drains down into the tank.

11. The warewasher of claim 1, wherein the lower sealing portion is a groove that extends inwardly from a bottom of the threshold seal member, the shelf including a rib that is received by the groove with the door in the closed configuration.

12. A warewasher for washing wares, the warewasher comprising:

a housing defining an internal space with at least one spray zone for washing wares, the housing including an opening defined in part by a lower shelf having a groove therein;

a liquid delivery system that provides a spray of liquid within the spray zone; and

an access door having a vertically hinged connection to the housing to provide an open configuration that allows user access to the spray zone and a closed configuration that inhibits user access to the spray zone, the vertically hinged connection permits some vertical movement of the access door along its hinge axis, the access door including a threshold seal member at the bottom of the access door, the threshold seal member including a downwardly extending rib that locates within the groove to provide a lower seal extending laterally along a width of the access door, during opening of the access door the rib rides upward along the shelf and out of the groove causing the door to move vertically upward.

13. The warewasher of claim 12 further comprising an edge seal member, the edge seal member being sized and configured to extend over an inner edge of the shelf with the access door in the closed configuration, wherein during opening of the access door the edge seal lifts from the inner edge of the shelf.

14. The warewasher of claim 12, wherein the vertically hinged connection includes hinge components configured to be removable from one side edge of the access door to an opposite side edge of the access door so that the access door can be reconfigured from a right-hand opening access door to a left-hand opening access door.

15. The warewasher of claim 12, wherein the access door is a first access door, the warewasher further comprising

a second access door having a vertically hinged connection to the housing to provide an open configuration that allows user access to the spray zone and a closed configuration that inhibits user access to the spray zone, the vertically hinged connection of the second access door permits some vertical movement of the second access door along its hinge axis, the second access door including a threshold seal member at the bottom of the second access door, the threshold seal member of the second access door including a downwardly extending rib that locates within the groove to provide a lower seal extending laterally along a width of the second access door, during opening of the second access door the rib rides upward along the shelf and out of the groove causing the second access door to move vertically upward.

16. The warewasher of claim 12 further comprising a tank positioned below the spray zone, an upper portion of the tank forms the shelf.

17. A warewasher for washing wares, the warewasher comprising:

a housing defining an internal space with at least one spray zone for washing wares, the housing including an opening defined in part by a lower shelf having a groove therein;

a liquid delivery system that provides a spray of liquid within the spray zone;

a tank located beneath the spray zone, the tank including the lower shelf;

an access door having a vertically hinged connection to the housing to provide an open configuration that allows user access to the spray zone and a closed configuration that inhibits user access to the spray zone, the vertically hinged connection permits some vertical movement of the access door along its hinge axis; and

a labyrinth seal assembly extending vertically along a vertically oriented edge of the access door, the labyrinth seal assembly including a channel extending along a height of the access door, the channel being in communication with the spray zone so that liquid entering the channel along a leak path formed between the access door and the labyrinth seal assembly with the access door in its closed configuration drains down into the tank.

18. The warewasher of claim 17 further comprising

a second access door having a vertically hinged connection to the housing to provide an open configuration that allows user access to the spray zone and a closed configuration that inhibits user access to the spray zone, the vertically hinged connection permits some vertical movement of the second access door along its hinge axis;

and

a second labyrinth seal assembly extending vertically along a vertically oriented edge of the second access door, the second labyrinth seal assembly including a channel extending along a height of the second access door, the channel of the second labyrinth seal assembly being in communication with the spray zone so that liquid entering the channel of the second labyrinth seal assembly along a leak path formed between the second access door and the second labyrinth seal assembly with the second access door in its closed configuration drains down into the tank.

19. The warewasher of claim 17 further comprising a steam deflector extending outwardly and arranged along an upper horizontal edge of the spray zone, the steam deflector having an edge that abuts the access door with the access door in its closed configuration to inhibit passage of steam and liquid thereby.

20. The warewasher of claim 17, wherein a position of the steam deflector is adjustable toward and away from the access door to adjust the position of the steam deflector relative to the access door with the access door in its closed configuration.