Dishwasher with Device for Storage of Rinsing Water

Abstract

A dishwasher is provided with a storage container for rinsing water, the dishwasher being particularly simple and economical to produce, whereby the space loss in the dishwasher is kept very low. The storage reservoir is a flexible film bag, which may be matched in volume to the volume of the liquid.

1 - 21 . (canceled)  
     
     
         22 . A dishwasher which is suitable for carrying out a washing program comprising at least one washing process using rinsing water, comprising a program controller, a washing container for receiving the items for be cleaned and a system for circulating the rinsing water and a storage reservoir for rinsing water for storage and re-use at a later time of at least a part of the rinsing water present in the dishwasher characterised in that the storage reservoir is embodied as a film bag which can be matched in size to the volume of the liquid.  
     
     
         23 . The dishwasher according to  claim 22 , wherein the film bag is formed preferably of plastic or metal.  
     
     
         24 . The dishwasher according to  claim 22 , wherein the film bag is embodied so that it can hold several sets of rinsing water, preferably two sets of rinsing water.  
     
     
         25 . The dishwasher according to  claim 22 , wherein the dishwasher has a lye pump for pumping away the rinsing water from the dishwasher and a circulating pump for acting upon the spray arms and the film bag can be filled with rinsing water via a first rinsing water pipe from the lye pump.  
     
     
         26 . The dishwasher according to  claim 25 , wherein a water deflector valve is provided which either opens the first rinsing water pipe when the shut-off valve from the lye pump to the film bag is opened or a second rinsing water pipe from the lye pump to the waste water pipe which is preferably closed by means of a shut-off valve.  
     
     
         27 . The dishwasher according to  claim 25 , wherein the rinsing water is passed from the film bag via a third rinsing water pipe for re-introduction of rinsing water into the rinsing water cycle of the dishwasher, which preferably leads from the film bag into a pump sump in the lower area of the washing container.  
     
     
         28 . The dishwasher according to  claim 25 , wherein the first rinsing water pipe and/or the second rinsing water pipe and/or the third rinsing water pipe can each be closed by means of a shut-off valve.  
     
     
         29 . The dishwasher according  claim 22 , wherein the dishwasher has a lye pump for pumping away the rinsing water from the dishwasher and a circulating pump for acting upon the spray arms and the filter bag can be filled with filtered rinsing water by means of a filter system in the pump sump and by means of a first rinsing water pipe from the circulating pump.  
     
     
         30 . The dishwasher according to  claim 29 , wherein a first rinsing water pipe can be closed by a shut-off valve and a water deflector valve is provided which either releases one, both or none of the spray arms for acting upon with water.  
     
     
         31 . The dishwasher according to  claim 29 , wherein the rinsing water from the film bag for re-introduction of rinsing water can be passed via the first rinsing water pipe when the shut-off valve is opened via the switched-off circulating pump into a pump sump.  
     
     
         32 . The dishwasher according to  claim 22 , wherein the operation of the lye pump and/or the circulating pump and the actuation of the shut-off valves is controlled by means of the preferably electronic program controller.  
     
     
         33 . The dishwasher according to  claim 22 , wherein the film bag is arranged between an outer wall of the dishwasher and a side wall of a washing container of the dishwasher.  
     
     
         34 . The dishwasher according to  claim 22 , wherein the film bag is arranged between a top wall of the dishwasher and a top wall of a washing container.  
     
     
         35 . The dishwasher according to  claim 22 , wherein the film bag has at least one opening for introducing or removing rinsing water which preferably opens into the first rinsing water pipe.  
     
     
         36 . The dishwasher according to  claim 25 , wherein the flexible film bag and/or the rinsing water pipes are coated on the water-guiding side at least in part with an anti-bacterial agent, e.g. with Agion.  
     
     
         37 . A dishwasher which is suitable for carrying out a washing program comprising at least one washing process using rinsing water, comprising a program controller, a washing container for receiving the items for be cleaned and a system for circulating the rinsing water and a storage reservoir for rinsing water for storage and re-use at a later time of at least a part of the rinsing water present in the dishwasher, wherein the dishwasher has a lye pump for pumping away the rinsing water from the dishwasher and a circulating pump for acting upon the spray arms, characterised in that the storage reservoir can be filled with filtered rinsing water from the circulating pump.  
     
     
         38 . A method for operating a dishwasher, especially comprising a device for storing rinsing water according to one of the preceding claims, wherein rinsing water present in the dishwasher at the end of or during a washing process is removed at least partly from the rinsing water circuit of the dishwasher and introduced into a flexible film bag, which is matched in its size to the liquid volume and before or at the beginning of a following rinsing process is removed at least partly from the flexible film bag and fed back to the rinsing water cycle of the dishwasher.  
     
     
         39 . The method for operating a dishwasher according to  claim 38 , wherein the rinsing water present in the dishwasher at the end of or during a clear rinse partial program step of a washing program is removed at least partly from the rinsing water circuit of the dishwasher and introduced into the flexible film bag, which is matched in its size to the liquid volume and before or at the beginning of a pre-wash partial program step of a following washing program is removed at least partly from the flexible film bag and fed back to the rinsing water cycle of the dishwasher.  
     
     
         40 . The method according to  claim 38 , wherein the rinsing water is fed back into the rinsing water cycle of the dishwasher before or at the beginning of the intermediate rinse partial program step.  
     
     
         41 . The method according to  claim 38 , wherein the rinsing water present in the dishwasher is removed at least partly from the pump sump by means of the circulating pump via the filter system of the dishwasher provided there and filtered in the film bag.  
     
     
         42 . A method for operating a dishwasher, especially comprising a device for storing the rinsing water wherein rinsing water present in the dishwasher at the end of or during a washing process is at least partly removed from the rinsing water cycle of the dishwasher and introduced into a storage reservoir and before or at the beginning of a following rinsing process, is removed from the storage reservoir at least in part and is fed back to the rinsing water cycle of the dishwasher, characterised in that the storage reservoir is filled with filtered rinsing water from the circulating pump.