This invention relates generally to the field of stackable laundry appliances and more particularly to providing a non-removable sliding access door for the top cover assembly of the washing machine. The access door of the washing machine is positionable beneath the cabinet of the dryer by sliding the access door in guideways associated with the top cover of the washing machine.
Prior stacked laundry pairs have typically shown a dryer mounted at approximately eye level above a washing machine with the dryer cabinet located so that the washing machine access door can be hinged at the rear and pivoted upwardly and rearwardly beneath the dryer cabinet. In some stacked pairs such as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,545,235, the dryer is mounted directly to the top cover across the rear of the washing machine and the lower portion of the dryer cabinet tapers rearwardly to provide sufficient space for opening a hinged access door.
Allman, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,979,361, shows a horizontal axis washing machine having a cylindrical fabric container. An arcuate cover is slidably arranged between flanges attached to the body of the container. Gaskets are provided for forming a water tight seal between the cover and the container.
Dunn, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,732,700, discloses a wringer washing machine having a removable sliding lid or tray for covering the tub opening during washing. The lid has a downwardly turned lip or flange around its periphery and slides on a shouldered portion of the tub sides. Each side of the lid has a pair of rubber pads for preventing scratching or rattling as the lid slides upon the shouldered portion of the tub sides.
The prior art in the area of sliding access doors for laundry equipment has previously been limited to water sealing, arcuately shaped doors for horizontal axis machines or to a removable sliding lid arrangement for a wringer washing machine for preventing splashing during wash and for hiding a storable wringer assembly. There has been no known showing of a non-removable sliding access door for the washing machine portion of a stacked laundry pair.