A domestic clothes dryer typically has a cabinet including a front panel with an access opening through which clothes are loaded and unloaded into a rotating drum. The door is mounted through one or more hinges to the cabinet front panel on one side of the access opening.
Many of the viewing window type doors are port hole type doors where the clothes dryer has a front panel with a circular opening and a circular door jam. The door has a hinge that is mounted to the circular door jam. The dryer typically has a drum bulkhead or bearing mounted in the dryer adjacent the front panel of the dryer. The front panel and bulkhead share a circular opening that is cropped horizontally along the bottom of the opening permitting a lint trap duct to be placed between the front panel and the bulkhead. The trap duct receives a filter through which air exits the dryer drum. The door comprises an outer circular window of plastic and an inner glass window that is non-circular and is cropped to conform to the opening in the bulkhead of the dryer. The inner window is typically mounted vertically and in alignment with the drum bulkhead wall when the door is closed so as to cover the lint trap opening. In some instances the inner or rear window of the door is recessed back from the drum bulkhead to thereby increase the size of the dryer drum. However, in this instance, the lint trap opening may be exposed should a user forget to insert the lint filter into the trap. Some clothes dryers have a lint trap flap that springs up to close the lint trap opening when the lint trap is removed and thereby prevent clothing articles from being drawn into the trap duct. While the additional space in the dryer drum provided by the recessing of the inner window from the drum is an advantageous feature, the use of the lint trap flap adds expense to the construction of the clothes dryer.
Another feature of these port hole doors is the positive securement of the inner window in the door assembly. Typically, this involves the use of several fasteners that are secured against the inner window of the glass to hold the window in place. This requires the use of a more expensive glass pane for the inner window and the assembly of the fasteners is labor intensive.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved door assembly for a clothes dryer that has a relatively simpler inner window mounting.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds