Closure panel and laundry treating appliance with same

• US 10,309,051 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2015
• Issued: 06/04/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Lentz, Steven, Unglenieks, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Tefera, Hiwot E
• Application Number:
  US14/948,850
• Publication Number:
  US 20170145622A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,289 Days
• Field of Search: 206320, 229113, 229116, 3123515-3517, 3123511, 220610, 220 6, 220 428, 248688, 248676, 248677, 248678, 2481881, 2481886, 2483463, 2483465, 24834601, 248544, 24834603, 108 513, 108 551
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/001 Arrangements for transporting, moving, or setting washing machines; Protective arrangements for use during transport transport in general B65
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/12 Casings; Tubs
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/20 General details of domestic laundry dryers D06F59/00 takes precedence

Abstract

A closure panel and a laundry treating appliance including a cabinet defining an interior and having a bottom opening, a treating chamber located within the interior for receiving an article to be treated and a closure panel mounted within the interior and having a set of flaps configured to cover at least a portion of the bottom opening.

Claims

1. A laundry treating appliance configured to treat laundry according to an automatic cycle of operation, comprising:

a cabinet defining an interior and having a bottom opening;

a treating chamber located within the interior for receiving an article to be treated; and

a closure panel mounted to a lower portion of the cabinet within the interior of the cabinet, the closure panel comprising a set of moveable flaps adapted to selectively move between a shipping position where at least one of the set of moveable flaps is oriented to accommodate packaging material and an installed position where the set of moveable flaps is configured to cover at least a portion of the bottom opening during the automatic cycle of operation;

wherein the set of moveable flaps are configured to fall from the shipping position to the installed position when not held open by the packaging material while being mounted to the lower portion of the cabinet and within the interior of the cabinet.

2. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the cabinet includes a chassis and the closure panel is sized to rest on top of a lower portion of the chassis and be mounted to the chassis.

3. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the set of moveable flaps comprises multiple substantially triangular flaps.

4. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the set of moveable flaps comprise multiple flaps and at least a portion of the multiple flaps overlap in the installed position.

5. The laundry treating appliance of claim 4, further comprising a sound proofing segment operably coupled to one of the multiple flaps.

6. The laundry treating appliance of claim 5 wherein the set of moveable flaps in the shipping position are configured to be held open by packaging materials.

7. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the set of moveable flaps is formed from molded foam.

8. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the set of moveable flaps is formed from fiber material.

9. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1, further comprising a frame to which the set of moveable flaps are operably coupled.

10. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the set of moveable flaps in the installed position are configured to cover an entirety of the bottom opening.

11. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the set of moveable flaps in the installed position are configured to contact a surface on which the cabinet is supported.

12. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the treating chamber is disposed on one of a horizontal axis or a vertical axis.