Cutlery basket and dish washing machine having the same

Abstract

A cutlery basket and a dish washing machine having the same includes one or more distribution units contained in the cutlery basket, so that a plurality of cutlery utensils can be uniformly arranged without overlapping, resulting in increased washing efficiency.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A cutlery basket for a dish washing machine, the cutlery basket comprising:
 a basket body configured to accommodate cutlery and in which a plurality of holes are disposed; and   a distribution unit disposed in a second region located inside of a first region in a manner that cutlery in the basket body is distributed to the first region of a bottom surface of the basket body, and the distribution unit is formed to be convex in a direction toward the inside of the basket body from a bottom surface of the basket body.   
     
     
         2 . The cutlery basket according to  claim 1 , wherein the distribution unit comprises:
 an inclined surface formed to be inclined to direct the cutlery accommodated in the basket body to the first region.   
     
     
         3 . The cutlery basket according to  claim 2 , wherein a portion of the inclined surface has a curved surface. 
     
     
         4 . The cutlery basket according to  claim 2 , wherein a slope of a first point on the inclined surface is less than a slope of a second point located below the first point. 
     
     
         5 . The cutlery basket according to  claim 1 , wherein the first region is formed to enclose the second region. 
     
     
         6 . The cutlery basket according to  claim 1 , wherein the distribution unit has a conical shape. 
     
     
         7 . The cutlery basket according to  claim 2 , wherein:
 if a predetermined angle between the inclined surface and the bottom surface is a tilt angle, the tilt angle is formed in a manner that cutlery leaned onto the inclined surface is spaced apart from an upper end of the basket body.   
     
     
         8 . The cutlery basket according to  claim 2 , wherein the height (h) of the distribution unit from the bottom surface is greater than a half of an inner depth (d) of the basket body. 
     
     
         9 . The cutlery basket according to  claim 1 , wherein the distribution unit comprises:
 a head portion disposed at an upper end; and   an inclined surface formed to enclose the head portion, formed to be elongated from the head portion to the bottom surface of the basket body, and formed to be tilted in a manner that cutlery is directed to the first region.   
     
     
         10 . The cutlery basket according to  claim 2 , wherein the distribution unit further comprises:
 a separation protrusion disposed below the inclined surface in a manner that the distribution unit is spaced apart from the bottom surface of the basket body by a predetermined distance.   
     
     
         11 . The cutlery basket according to  claim 1 , wherein the basket body comprises:
 an opening, one side of which is opened; and   a cover unit disposed in the opening,   wherein the cover unit comprises a cover body formed along a peripheral part of the opening, and at least one separation member protruding toward the inside of the opening from the cover body.   
     
     
         12 . The cutlery basket according to  claim 11 , wherein the at least one separation member comprises:
 a convex portion formed to be convex inwardly to reduce the size of a region contacting the cutlery.   
     
     
         13 . The cutlery basket according to  claim 11 , wherein the at least one separation member comprises a plurality of wave-shaped separation members. 
     
     
         14 . The cutlery basket according to  claim 11 , wherein the at least one separation member comprises:
 a plurality of separation members; and   a holder groove formed to be concave toward the cover body rather than the plurality of separation members in such a manner that at least some parts of cutlery are held between any one of the separation members and a neighbor separation member contiguous to the one separation member.   
     
     
         15 . The cutlery basket according to  claim 11 , wherein the cover unit is provided to be rotated around the basket body. 
     
     
         16 . A cutlery basket for a dish washing machine, the cutlery basket comprising:
 a basket body having an opening, one side of which is opened; and   a cover unit disposed in the opening,   wherein the cover unit comprises a cover body in which an insertion hole is formed to communicate with the opening, and a plurality of separation members protruded inward from the cover body in a manner that cutlery accommodated in the cutlery basket is spaced apart from the basket body.   
     
     
         17 . The cutlery basket according to  claim 16 , wherein the plurality of separation members comprises:
 a convex portion formed to be convex toward the insertion hole to reduce the size of a region contacting the cutlery.   
     
     
         18 . The cutlery basket according to  claim 16 , wherein the cover unit comprises:
 a holder groove formed to be concave toward the cover body rather than the plurality of separation members, at a position between the plurality of separation members so that the cutlery is held in the holder groove.   
     
     
         19 . The cutlery basket according to  claim 16 , further comprising:
 a distribution unit formed to be convex in a direction toward the inside of the basket body from a bottom surface of the basket body.   
     
     
         20 . The cutlery basket according to  claim 19 , wherein the distribution unit is arranged at a center part of the bottom surface of the basket body in a manner that cutlery accommodated in the basket body is distributed in a radial form. 
     
     
         21 . The cutlery basket according to  claim 19 , wherein the distribution unit comprises:
 a head portion disposed at an upper end; and   an inclined surface formed to enclose the head portion, formed to be elongated from the head portion to the bottom surface of the basket body, and formed to be tilted in a manner that cutlery is distributed in a radial form.   
     
     
         22 . The cutlery basket according to  claim 21 , wherein the height (h) of the head portion from the bottom surface of the basket body is greater than a half of an inner depth (d) of the basket body. 
     
     
         23 . A dish washing machine comprising:
 a cabinet to form an external appearance of the dish washing machine;   a wash tub provided in the cabinet to wash dishes; and   a cutlery basket seated in the wash tub to wash cutlery utensils,   wherein the cutlery basket comprises:   a basket body in which a plurality of holes is formed; and   a distribution unit arranged to be convex in a direction toward the inside of the basket body in a manner that the cutlery utensils accommodated in the basket body are distributed,   wherein the distribution unit comprises an inclined surface formed to be tilted with respect to a bottom surface of the basket body to support at least some parts arranged in a longitudinal direction of the cutlery utensils.   
     
     
         24 . The dish washing machine according to  claim 23 , further comprising:
 a cover unit disposed in an opening,   wherein the cover unit comprises:   a cover body in which an insertion hole communicating with the opening is formed; and   a plurality of separation members protruding toward the insertion hole from the cover body in a manner that the plurality of cutlery utensils distributed by the distribution unit is spaced apart from the basket body.   
     
     
         25 . A cutlery basket for a dish washing machine, the cutlery basket comprising:
 a basket body comprising:   a side wall;   a bottom; and   a protrusion extending from a central portion of the bottom into an interior of the basket body from the bottom such that cutlery placed into the cutlery basket is distributed on the bottom of the basket body around an exterior circumference of the protrusion.