On November 18, 1997, U.S. Patent No, 5,687,752, issued on a Dining Table Having Integral Dishwasher.

The patent details numerous advantages, not the least of which is eliminating the “tedious task of carrying dishes to the sink”:

Numerous advantages are realized with the construction of the present invention. For example, the user no longer has to bend over to load dishes into the dish-carrying racks of the dishwasher. Additionally, the dishwasher may be placed within a kitchen counter top or table. If the dishwasher has a dining surface projecting from the top of the basin (e.g., is placed within a table), household members simply place their dirty dishes in the raised rack assembly rather than having to perform the tedious task of carrying dishes to the sink. Moreover, the inventive dishwasher is space conscious, which is primarily attributable to the elimination of the side opening and corresponding swinging door.