ABSTRACT
I. INTRODUCTION The concept of using mechanical devices for dishwashing was documented as early as 1865 with the issuance of a U.S. Patent to J. Houghton [1]. Subsequently several companies tried to manufacture and market automatic dishwashing machines for home as well as for institutional use [2,3]. However, it was not until the early 1950s that both detergents and mechanical dishwashers became widely available to consumers. By the early 1990s, an estimated 50% of the households in the U.S., 25% in Europe, and 8% in Japan had automatic dishwashers [4].
