IP Library Granted Patent US 12,434,274
Granted Patent B1
US 12,434,274 · App. 18/414,107 · Granted Oct 7, 2025

Flow diverter and basket

Inventors: Michael P. Licata (Lee's Summit, MO); Atul Singhal (Bangalore, IN); Abhishek Agrawal (Chhattisgarh, IN); Richard Seiss (Madison, MS); Roger Moore (Brandon, MS); Mark Churchill (Grain Valley, MO)
Assignee: ELECTROLUX PROFESSIONAL, INC.
B08B3/048A47L15/4214B08B3/06B08B3/10
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,434,274
App. No.
18/414,107
Granted
Oct 7, 2025
Kind
B1
Abstract

A system for and method of improving fluid flow is provided. The system includes a discharge manifold defining a primary flow path partially obstructed by one or more flow diverter. The flow diverter includes an obtrusion pair, each obtrusion of the obtrusion pair extending from a rear wall of the discharge manifold into an interior area of the discharge manifold, thereby creating a void along the primary flow path. The system further includes a first nozzle extending through the primary flow path and into the void such that a nozzle inlet of the first nozzle is positioned at least partially within the void. The system further includes a plurality of subsequent nozzles, each of the first and subsequent nozzles defining a respective secondary flow path for directing fluid away from the discharge manifold. The method includes utilizing obtrusion pairs to reduce or eliminate hydraulic skip.

Claims (34)

1. A method for positioning items within a wash tank, the method comprising:

securing first and second portions of a rack assembly to respective first and second walls of a wash tank;

engaging a plurality of elongated members with said rack assembly;

wherein the wash tank includes an interior volume, and

wherein securing the first portion of the rack assembly to the first wall of the wash tank comprises engaging one or more engagement features of the first portion with a lip of the first wall of the wash tank, and

wherein the engagement of the plurality of elongated members with said rack assembly inhibits movement of one or more item within an interior volume of the wash tank.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the elongated members are standard elongated members.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the elongated members are truncated elongated members.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising partitioning at least a portion of said interior volume of the tank with one or more rigid member.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the one or more rigid members are configured to hold a plurality of items within the partitioned portion of the interior volume of the wash tank.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the one or more rigid members are perforated so as to allow fluid to flow into and out of the partitioned portion of the interior volume of the wash tank.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising securing first and second portions of said rack assembly respective first and second walls of said wash tank, such that a plurality of protruding members extend above a working fluid level of said wash tank.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising sliding said plurality of elongated members vertically into said interior volume of the wash tank such that a proximal and distal end of each elongated member is received by a respective proximal and distal slot defined by the plurality of protruding members.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and/or second portions of the rack assembly are moveable from a deployed configuration within the interior volume of the wash tank to a retracted configuration displaced from the interior volume of the wash tank.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising moving one or more of the first and second portions of the rack assembly away from the deployed configuration, wherein such movement away from the deployed configuration aides in a determination of whether one or more item is located within the wash tank.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein engaging the plurality of elongated members with the rack assembly restricts the first and/or second portions of the rack assembly from moving away from the deployed configuration.

12. A method for positioning items within a wash tank, the method comprising:

securing first and second portions of a rack assembly to respective first and second walls of a wash tank such that a plurality of protruding members extend above a working fluid level in an interior volume of said wash tank;

engaging a plurality of elongated items with said rack assembly by sliding said plurality of elongated items vertically into said interior volume of the tank such that a proximal and distal end of each elongated item is received by a respective proximal and distal slot defined by the plurality of protruding members; and

moving one or more of the first and second portions of the rack assembly away from a deployed configuration, wherein such movement away from the deployed configuration aids in a determination of whether one or more item is located within the wash tank,

wherein the engagement of the plurality of elongated items with said rack assembly inhibits movement of one or more item within said interior volume of the wash tank.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the elongated items are standard elongated items.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the elongated members are truncated elongated members.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising partitioning at least a portion of said interior volume of the tank with one or more rigid member.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein securing the first portion of the rack assembly to the first wall of the wash tank comprises engaging one or more engagement features of the first portion with a lip of the wash tank.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein engaging the plurality of elongated items with the rack assembly restricts the first and/or second portions of the rack assembly from moving away from the deployed configuration.

18. A rack assembly for positioning items within a wash tank comprising:

a first portion comprising one or more engagement features;

a second portion secured to the first portion; and

a plurality of protruding members;

wherein said first portion is configured to be secured in an interior volume of a wash tank by engaging said one or more engagement features with a lip of a first wall of said wash tank, and

wherein said rack assembly is configured to engage with a plurality of elongated items and inhibit their movement inside said interior volume of the wash tank.

19. The rack assembly of claim 18 wherein said first portion further comprises one or more rigid members configured to partition a portion of the interior volume of the wash tank.

20. The rack assembly of claim 19 wherein said one or more rigid members extend towards said second portion and wherein each of said one or more rigid members comprise opposing proximal and distal walls and a plurality of side walls extending therebetween.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 31, 2024
From: LICATA, MICHAEL P.; SINGHAL, ATUL; AGRAWAL, ABHISHEK; SEISS, RICHARD; MOORE, ROGER; CHURCHILL, MARK
To: UNIFIED BRANDS, INC.
Reel/Frame 066313/0490 →
MERGER AND CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jan 31, 2024
From: UNIFIED BRANDS, INC.; ELECTROLUX PROFESSIONAL, INC.
To: ELECTROLUX PROFESSIONAL, INC.
Reel/Frame 066313/0526 →
MERGER AND CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jan 18, 2024
From: UNIFIED BRANDS, INC.; ELECTROLUX PROFESSIONAL, INC.
To: ELECTROLUX PROFESSIONAL, INC.
Reel/Frame 066351/0697 →
Continuity (4)
Division 17740253 · May 9, 2022
Division 16596459 · Oct 8, 2019
Continuation In Part 29678355 · Jan 28, 2019
Provisional Application 62742778 · Oct 8, 2018
References Cited (52)
US 4854227A · Koopman · 1989 [cited by applicant]
US 5303997A · Kropf · 1994 [cited by applicant]
US D453027S · Andujar · 2002 [cited by applicant]
US 6578720B1 · Wang · 2003 [cited by applicant]
US D477144S · Remmers · 2003 [cited by applicant]
US D508167S · Anderson et al. · 2005 [cited by applicant]
US D532654S · Raichlen et al. · 2006 [cited by applicant]
US D635363S · Hertaus · 2011 [cited by applicant]
US D686018S · Etherington et al. · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US D697310S · Snider · 2014 [cited by applicant]
US 9596931B1 · Nimgulkar · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US D799827S · Greenblatt et al. · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US D814189S · Nimgulkar et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US D825268S · Iorio et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US D860648S · Greenblatt et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US D891105S · Licata et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 11325167B2 · Licata et al. · 2022 [cited by applicant]
US 11872602B2 · Licata · 2024 [cited by applicant]
US 20030041887A1 · Inch et al. · 2003 [cited by applicant]
US 20060219271A1 · Feddema · 2006 [cited by examiner]
US 20070235401A1 · Costa et al. · 2007 [cited by applicant]
US 20090205682A1 · Tafoya · 2009 [cited by applicant]
US 20090255560A1 · Lehmann et al. · 2009 [cited by applicant]
US 20160144999A1 · Tang · 2016 [cited by applicant]
US 20170135549A1 · Spang et al. · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 20200108421A1 · Licata et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20220266313A1 · Licata et al. · 2022 [cited by applicant]
CN 101316970A · 2008 [cited by applicant]
CN 102497800A · 2012 [cited by applicant]
CN 105307777A · 2016 [cited by applicant]
CN 105934187A · 2016 [cited by applicant]
CN 111000515A · 2020 [cited by applicant]
CN 210631184U · 2020 [cited by applicant]
EP 0990413A1 · 2000 [cited by applicant]
KR 1020140033895A · 2014 [cited by applicant]
WO 2020076848A1 · 2020 [cited by applicant]
“Corrected Notice of Allowance received for U.S. Appl. No. 29/678,355, Mailed on Jun. 1, 2020,”. [cited by applicant]
“Decision of Rejection Received for China Patent Application No. 201910111463.8, Mailed On Jun. 16, 2023.”. [cited by applicant]
“First Office Action received for China Patent Application No. 201910111463.8, Mailed on Aug. 2, 2022.”. [cited by applicant]
“International Preliminary Report on Patentability and Written Opinion received for PCT Application No. PCT/US2019/055223, Mailed on Apr. 22, 2021”. [cited by applicant]
“International Search Report and Written Opinion for International Application No. PCT/US2019/055223, Search completed Jan. 23, 2020, Mailed Jan. 31, 2020, 12 Pgs”. [cited by applicant]
“Non- Final Action received for U.S. Appl. No. 16/596,459, Mailed on Sep. 2, 2021”. [cited by applicant]
“Non-Final Office Action Received for U.S. Appl. No. 17/740,253, mailed on Apr. 27, 2023.”. [cited by applicant]
“Notice of Allowance received for U.S. Appl. No. 29/678,355, Mailed on Mar. 25, 2020, 7 pages”. [cited by applicant]
“Notice of Allowance received for U.S. Appl. No. 16/596,459, mailed on Jan. 5, 2022.”. [cited by applicant]
“Notice of Allowance received for U.S. Appl. No. 17/740,253, Mailed on Aug. 17, 2023”. [cited by applicant]
“Notice of Decision to Grant Received for China Patent Application No. 201910111463.8, Mailed On Dec. 26, 2023.”. [cited by applicant]
“Notice of Decision to Grant Received for Chinese Patent Application No. 201920191717.7, Mailed on Mar. 27, 2020, 2 Pages.”. [cited by applicant]
“Office action received in Chinese application 201920191717.7, mailed on Oct. 18, 2019”. [cited by applicant]
“Restriction Requirement Received for U.S. Appl. No. 16/596,459 , mailed on Jun. 16, 2021.”. [cited by applicant]
“Restriction Requirement Received for U.S. Appl. No. 17/740,253, mailed on Mar. 16, 2023.”, 8 Pages. [cited by applicant]
“Second Office Action received for China Patent Application No. 201910111463.8, Mailed on Feb. 7, 2023.”. [cited by applicant]