Other

The Stero Company

Hobart Corporation

Tore H Noren

A commercial warewasher is disclosed, in which racks of soiled ware, such as dishes, are consecutively washed through a machine cycle which includes recirculating wash water over the ware followed by a fresh water spray rinse. A portion of the wash water is drained and a second portion is intentionally retained in the machine during the rinse period after each rack of dishes is washed. The retained portion is thereby combined with the fresh rinse water to provide a volume of water sufficient for pumped wash recirculation for the next rack without cavitation, while enabling usage of a minimum quantity of rinse water required to provide effective rinsing. Reduced water consumption, reduced energy to heat the water and reduced chemical usage (detergents, sanitizers and rinse agents) are all possible in amounts and degrees depending upon the type and design of warewasher with which the method and apparatus is employed.

Low energy, low water consumption warewasher

Low energy, low water consumption warewasher and method

A commercial warewasher consecutively washes racks of soiled ware, such as dishes, through a machine cycle which includes recirculating wash water over the ware followed by a fresh water spray rinse. Part of the wash water is drained and a second portion is retained in the machine after each rack of dishes is washed, then combined with subsequent fresh rinse water spray to provide a volume of water sufficient for pumped wash recirculation for the next rack without cavitation. When a drain valve is opened, water pressure to the wash arm system is reduced, flow through it decreases, and when the pump stops the wash system will drain by gravity to the lowest point in the wash system plumbing. In the meantime the pump discharges wash water until the level of water in the sump and/or its associated outlet pipe reaches the level of the pump impeller eye. The pump begins to cavitate and effectively ceases to pump water. The pump and its drive motor are mounted outside the perimeter of the cabinet, with the pump impeller inverted and the drive motor extending vertically above the pump, leaving substantial open space between the supporting floor and the underside of the machine for ease of cleaning and maintenance in a crowded kitchen environment.

A latch for a warewasher effects manual movement of a bolt between a retracted position which permits the door to be fully closed and an extended position which either latchingly engages a keeper to secure the door in the closed position, or abuttingly engages the keeper to prevent the door from being inadvertently fully closed. In addition to manual operation, the latch is operated by gravity to extend the bolt from its retracted to its extended position as the door of the warewasher is moved from a horizontal opened position to a vertical position. In this way, the bolt of the latch is extended to abut the keeper of a warewasher if the door is simply moved from the horizontal opened position to the vertical position, but may be easily and quickly closed by manual operation of the latch to retract the bolt followed by complete closure of the door, and then extension of the bolt to secure the door in the fully-closed position. Similarly, gravity operates the latch to retract the bolt from its extended to its retracted position as the door of the warewasher is moved from the vertical position to the horizontal opened position. The automatic retraction of the bolt as the door is moved to its horizontal opened position lessens the possibility of catching the bolt by means of apparel or other articles moved within the room housing the warewasher.

Latch mechanism for front-loading commercial warewasher

A tray accumulator for a soiled ware conveyor comprises a tray rack adapted to be removably supported upon a dolly which is in turn supported upon and moved along a track. The dolly comprises a support frame which may be essentially permanently mounted to track rails, with all dollies being interconnected for movement as a train. The dolly comprises a support frame having front and rear members interconnected by side members, with the tray rack including an offset flange for engaging the rear member of the frame. First and second retaining brackets are secured to the side members of the frame and extend upwardly therefrom, and first and second studs are secured to the outer sides of the tray rack such that the studs fit behind the retaining brackets when the tray rack is mounted on the frame. Side rails are secured to the side members of the dolly support frame to restrain sideward movement of the tray racks relative to the dollies. The side rails extend to a position above the first and second retaining brackets, and are spaced therefrom such that the studs must be moved between the side rails and the retaining brackets for placement of the tray rack onto a dolly or removal of a tray rack from a dolly.

Tray accumulator for soiled ware conveyor

An endless train of dollies with means for continuously moving them in an oval path and in either direction, each dolly supporting a tray rack that in turn can removably support a plurality of trays in stacked relation. Bus boys load trays of soiled dishes into the tray racks at one station in the endless train of moving dollies. The endless train of moving dollies is positioned adjacent to a second endless train of moving dollies, each dolly in this second train supporting a basket for receiving soiled dishware and trays that a second bus boy standing in a second station positioned between the two endless trains of dollies transfers trays of soiled dishware with their trays from the tray racks to the baskets in the second endless conveyor. The tray racks are of novel construction and each one consists of a U-shaped casing in horizontal cross section. The two parallel walls of the casing have tray supporting rods on their inner surfaces and the rods of both walls are arranged in pairs so that each pair can support a removable tray on which soiled dishware has been placed. The height between adjacent pair of tray supporting rods is such that the dishware on one tray will not interfere with the tray thereabove.

Motor driven endless tray accumulator

A small washer and sterilizer for glasses has a counterweighted door with a watertight seal without gaskets, a novel overhead spray unit particularly adapted for under bar installation and an improved drainage system.

Glass washer and sterilizer

A mixing chamber has a water inlet and chemical inlet with a depending discharge merging into a duct having an air vent separated from the chamber by an inclined chamber floor.

Vacuum breaker and mixing chamber

An improved peg structure of an endless belt conveyor grips trays to prevent dislodgement during high speed passage through washing and rinsing stations as in a flight dishwashing system.

Tray lock conveyor for dishwashing machines

An endless train of dollies with means for continuously moving them in an oval path and in either direction, each dolly supporting a tray rack that in turn can removably support a plurality of trays in stacked relation. Bus boys load trays of soiled dishes into the tray racks at one station in the endless train of moving dollies. The endless train of moving dollies is positioned adjacent to a second endless train of moving dollies, each dolly in this second train supporting a basket for receiving soiled dishware and trays that a second bus boy standing in a second station positioned between the two endless trains of dollies transfers trays of soiled dishware with their trays from the tray racks to the baskets in the second endless conveyor. The trays are of novel construction and each one consists of a U-shaped casing in horizontal cross section. The two parallel walls of the casing have tray supporting rods on their inner surfaces and the rods of both walls are arranged in pairs so that each pair can support a removable tray on which soiled dishware has been placed. The height between adjacent pair of tray supporting rods is such that the dishware on one tray will not interfere with the tray thereabove.

Motor driven endless tray accumulator for dishwashing

A removable and self sealing spray manifold that has an unobstructed cylindrical interior extending throughout its entire length. Novel self sealing and manifold supporting means is provided at each end of the manifold. The rear end supporting means for the manifold connects the manifold to a hot water inlet pipe and includes means for correctly positioning the spray nozzles for directing the hot water against the ware in the racks. The means for supporting the front manifold end includes a self-sealing cap that can be removably connected to the manifold without the need of using any tools.

Removable and self sealing spray manifold for commercial dishwasher

A low temperature conveyor rack-type dishwasher in which the ware-carrying racks are step-wise advanced through a scrapper module, a ware washing module and a rinsing and sanitizing module. The rinsing module has two compartments. In the first compartment fresh hot water at 140.degree. F., is sprayed onto the ware to wash off the detergent from the wash water. In the second rinsing compartment a predetermined volume of sodium hypochlorite is mixed with fresh hot water at 140.degree. F., for rinsing and sanitizing the ware. A tank is provided under each rinse compartment and the overflow from the second compartment is fed into the tank of the first compartment and the overflow from this tank is conveyed back to the scrapper to remove food soil from the screens in that module and to add fresh hot water to the tank underlying the scrapper.

Low temperature conveyor, rack-type dishwasher

A rotatable spray manifold especially designed for a commercial dishwasher and in which the ends of the two hollow arms are closed by cleanout-caps, each cap being carried by a pair of rods that straddle the sides of each elongated arm and are pivotally secured thereto. The pair of rods form a frame that can swing the cap from closing the open end of the hollow arm into uncovering it, thus permitting access to the interior of each arm for cleaning the spray manifold. The cap is adjustably carried by the swingable frame so as to be movable into a water tight contact with the open end of the spray arm. No tools are necessary to be used in the opening or closing movement of the cleanout-cap and the cap cannot accidentally become lost.

Rotary spray manifold

A tandem rack dishwashing machine in which the single unit model is designed to handle two half-racks at a time and arranged in tandem, the half-racks supporting soiled dishes, or one full rack at a time; and in which the double unit model is designed to handle two full racks of soiled dishes at a time and arranged in tandem, the double unit model having a control switch in series with a starting switch and positioned at the exit end of the machine so as to be closed by the racks only when the two full racks are received within the washing and rinsing area. The dish-rinsing water need not be at 180.degree. F., because the rinse water is chemically sanitized and need be only at 140.degree. F., which is the same temperature as the wash water. Novel means is used for quickly draining the wash water from the machine into a holding tank which then feeds it into the sewer. This reduces the time required between the draining of the wash water and the filling of the machine tank with the required amount of rinse water and thereby reduces the time required for the complete washing, rinsing and sterilizing of the dishes.

Tandem rack dishwashing machine with time-controlled washing and rinsing

A tandem rack dishwashing machine in which the single unit model is designed to handle two half-racks at a time and arranged in tandem, the half-racks supporting solid dishes, or one full rack at a time; and in which the double unit model is designed to handle two full racks of soiled dishes at a time and arranged in tandem, the double unit model having a control switch in series with a starting switch and positioned at the exit end of the machine so as to be closed by the racks only when the two full racks are received within the washing and rinsing area. The dish-rinsing water need not be at 180.degree. F., because the rinse water is chemically sanitized and need be only at 140.degree. F., which is the same temperature as the wash water. Novel structure is used for quickly draining the wash water from the machine into a holding reservoir which then feeds it into the sewer. This reduces the time required between the draining of the wash water and the filling of the machine tank with the required amount of rinse water and thereby reduces the time required for the complete washing, rinsing and sterilizing of the dishes.

Growing community of inventors

Petaluma, CA, United States of America

Tore H Noren