What crucial factor distinguished Cochrane's design from earlier concepts?
Answer
It became the first commercially successful automatic dishwasher on the market
While earlier individuals, such as Josephine A. Fisher and Joseph H. Alms, had held patents related to mechanical dish cleaning concepts, their designs did not translate into a viable market product. Cochrane's patent secured recognition for a system where the engineering details—the combination of secure racking, heated water spray, and pressure management—resulted in the very first machine that was both practical and commercially successful. This success underscores that the gap between a concept and market viability often hinges on refined engineering rather than the initial idea itself.

Related Questions
What specifically motivated Josephine Cochrane to invent the dishwasher?What was the official patent document number for Cochrane's dishwasher?How was Cochrane’s 1886 dishwasher powered for operation?Which sector did Cochrane Manufacturing Company target initially for machine sales?What crucial factor distinguished Cochrane's design from earlier concepts?What industry was Josephine Cochrane's father, John Garis, involved in?What was the engineering breakthrough separating Cochrane's design from predecessors?When did Josephine Cochrane sell her company to the Hobart Manufacturing Company?What event showcased Cochrane's dishwasher to the wider public in 1893?How does Cochrane's motivation differ from a focus purely on labor reduction?