CROCKERY BASKET AND CROCKERY BASKET SYSTEM

1 . A crockery basket of a dishwasher to accommodate items to be washed, comprising:

a basket base piece having at least one open lateral edge area; and

at least one separate end piece connected to the basket base piece to close the lateral edge area and thereby bound a base area, said end piece being configured in one of two ways, a first way in which the end piece forms a part-surface of the base area, a second way in which the end piece forms no part-surface of the base area.

2 . The crockery basket of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the basket base piece and the end piece comprises a grid material.

3 . The crockery basket of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the basket base piece and the end piece comprises a mesh material.

4 . The crockery basket of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the basket base piece and the end piece comprises a wire grid.

5 . The crockery basket of claim 1 , wherein the basket base piece and the end piece are welded to each other.

6 . The crockery basket of claim 1 , wherein the end piece, when forming no part-surface of the base area, is embodied as a side wall.

7 . The crockery basket of claim 1 , wherein the end piece, when forming the part-surface of the base area, is embodied as a basket section, which has at least one open lateral edge section.

8 . A crockery basket system of a dishwasher, to accommodate items to be washed, comprising:

a basket base piece having at least one open lateral edge area; and

a multiplicity of differently sized end pieces selectively connectable to the basket base piece to close the lateral edge area,

wherein the basket base piece forms a crockery basket with a base area together with a selected one of the end pieces, and

wherein the multiplicity of end pieces are dimensioned of different sizes so as to define differently sized part-surfaces of the base area or form no part-surface of the base area.

9 . A method for the manufacture of a crockery basket of a dishwasher, to accommodate items to be washed, said method comprising the steps of:

manufacturing a first mat from grid material;

manufacturing a basket base piece by upwardly bending at least one peripheral area, but not all peripheral areas of the first mat so as to establish at least one free lateral edge area;

manufacturing a second mat from grid material;

manufacturing an end piece in the form of a basket section by upwardly bending at least one peripheral area of the second mat or in the form of a side wall; and

connecting the basket base piece and the end piece to thereby close the free lateral edge area.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein at least two adjacent peripheral areas are connected to each other after the upward bending.

11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the basket base piece and the end piece are connected by welding.

12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the at least two adjacent peripheral areas are connected by welding.