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A clothes dryer door assembly with a viewing window is adapted to be reversibly mounted to a clothes dryer cabinet and has an inner door assembly supporting an inner window and an outer door assembly supporting an outer window. The inner door assembly removably carries a hinge and the outer door ass

A clothes dryer door assembly with a viewing window is adapted to be reversibly mounted to a clothes dryer cabinet and has an inner door assembly supporting an inner window and an outer door assembly supporting an outer window. The inner door assembly removably carries a hinge and the outer door assembly is removably secured with the inner door assembly. In order to reverse the door, the outer door assembly is removed from the inner door assembly and rotated 180 degrees. The hinge is removed from the inner door assembly and re-positioned 180 degrees on the inner door assembly. The outer door assembly is then reattached to the inner door assembly. This reversing of the door assembly of the present invention does not require complete disassembly of either of the inner or outer door assemblies.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A door assembly adapted to be mounted in alternate positions on the front panel of a clothes dryer cabinet so that the door assembly can be configured to be opened from either left or right side, said door assembly comprising: an inner door assembly comprising an inner door f

What is claimed is: 1. A door assembly adapted to be mounted in alternate positions on the front panel of a clothes dryer cabinet so that the door assembly can be configured to be opened from either left or right side, said door assembly comprising: an inner door assembly comprising an inner door frame support for supporting an inner window, a mask frame secured to the inner door support frame for masking the inner door frame, and a hinge structure removably secured in one of two first positions to the inner door frame support; and, an outer door assembly removably secured in one of two second positions to the inner door assembly, the outer door assembly comprising an outer window secured to an outer peripheral cover, the cover covering the hinge structure, the mask frame and the inner door frame support when the outer door assembly is secured to the inner door assembly. 2. The door assembly of claim 1 wherein the inner window is flat and the mask frame locates the inner window relative to the inner door frame support when the mask frame is secured to the inner door frame support. 3. The door assembly of claim 2 wherein the inner door assembly further comprises a retainer removably secured to the inner door support frame in the other of the two first positions. 4. The door assembly of claim 1 wherein the cover further comprises a handle positioned in horizontal opposing relation to positioning of the hinge structure. 5. A door assembly adapted to be mounted in alternate positions on the front panel of a clothes dryer cabinet so that the door assembly can be configured to be opened from either left or right side, said door assembly comprising: an inner door assembly and an outer door assembly removably secured in one of alternate positions to the inner door assembly, the inner door assembly comprising an inner door frame support having a first peripheral flange having two horizontally disposed hinge seat portions and the inner door frame support having a recessed window seat portion surrounding a first central opening defined by the inner door frame support, the inner door assembly comprising an inner window seated in the window seat portion across the first central opening, a mask frame secured to the inner door support frame for masking the inner door frame support and for locating the inner window in the recessed window seat portion, a hinge structure removably secured in one of the horizontally disposed hinge seat portions and comprising a hinge element extending from the inner door assembly, and, the outer door assembly comprising an outer window attached to an outer cover, the cover comprising a second central opening and a second peripheral flange adapted to cover the hinge structure, the mask frame and the first peripheral flange of the inner door frame support, and the second window extending across the second central opening of the cover. 6. The door assembly of claim 5 wherein the inner door assembly further comprises a retainer removably secured in the other one of the horizontally disposed hinge seat portions, end the cover covering the retainer. 7. The door assembly of claim 6 wherein the first peripheral flange of the inner door support is ring shaped, the second peripheral flange of the cover is ring shaped, and the cover further comprises a rim depending rearwardly from the second peripheral flange and overlaying edge portions of the mask structure and the inner door frame support, and the depending rim having at least two horizontally disposed openings through one of which the hinge element extends from the door assembly. 8. The door assembly of claim 7 wherein the outer window is circular in shape and has a third peripheral flange fastened to the second peripheral flange of the cover. 9. The door assembly of claim 8 wherein the third peripheral flange of the outer window is an arcuate flange that is nested in the second peripheral flange and the rim, the third peripheral flange is substantially co-extensive with the second peripheral flange of the cover except where the second peripheral flange overlays the hinge structure. 10. The door assembly of claim 9 wherein the mask frame comprises a pair of opposing fourth peripheral flanges defining horizontally disposed cut out slots adjacent the horizontally disposed hinge seat portions, the fourth peripheral flanges each has a plurality of barb connectors extending rearwardly thereof, and the first peripheral flange of the inner door frame support has corresponding recesses adapted to receive and retain the barb connectors to thereby secure the mask frame with the inner door frame support. 11. The door assembly of claim 10 wherein the mask frame further comprises a recessed collar extending rearwardly from inner edges of the fourth peripheral flanges towards the window seat portion, and the collar having an inner surface and an outer surface, the outer surface comprising a plurality of rib spacers spaced about the collar and having tip portions adapted to secure the inner window in the recessed window seat portion. 12. The door assembly of claim 11 wherein the inner door assembly is secured to the outer door assembly by fasteners passing from the inner door frame support through aligned openings in the first peripheral flange of the inner door frame support, the fourth peripheral flanges of the mask frame, and the third peripheral flanges of the outer window and into aligned studs protruding from an inside surface of the second peripheral flange of the cover. 13. The door assembly of claim 12 wherein the aligned openings and studs are arranged in two patterns that are symmetrically disposed about a centerline extending horizontally across the door assembly. 14. The door assembly of claim 5 wherein the mask frame comprises a pair of opposing fourth peripheral flanges defining horizontally disposed cut out slots adjacent the horizontally disposed hinge seat portions, the fourth peripheral flanges each has a plurality of barb-like connectors extending rearwardly thereof, and the first peripheral flange of the inner door frame support has corresponding recesses adapted to receive and retain the barb connectors to thereby secure the mask frame with the inner door frame support. 15. The door assembly of claim 14 wherein the mask frame further comprises a recessed collar extending rearwardly from inner edges of the fourth peripheral flanges towards the window seat portion, and the collar having an inner surface and an outer surface, the outer surface comprising a plurality of rib spacers spaced about the collar and having tip portions adapted to secure the inner window in the window seat. 16. The door assembly of claim 5 wherein the inner door assembly is secured to the outer door assembly by a plurality of fasteners passing through aligned apertures in the inner door frame support, the mask frame, and the outer window, and into aligned studs protruding from an inside surface of the cover. 17. The door assembly of claim 5 wherein the outer cover comprises a handle secured to the outer window by fasteners passing through the outer window into studs in the handle. 18. The door assembly of claim 7 wherein the outer cover comprises a handle secured to the outer window by fasteners passing through the outer window into studs in the handle. 19. The door assembly of claim 13 wherein the outer cover comprises a handle secured to the outer window by fasteners passing through the outer window into studs in the handle. 20. The door assembly of claim 16 wherein the outer cover comprises a handle secured to the outer window by fasteners passing through the outer window into studs in the handle. 21. The door assembly of claim 6 wherein each of the hinge structure and the retainer is removably secured to the inner door frame support by at least one fastener extending therethrough and into the inner door frame support. 22. A method for reversibly mounting to a clothes dryer cabinet a door comprising an inner door assembly supporting an inner window and removably carrying a hinge, an outer door assembly supporting an outer window and removably attached to the inner door assembly, and removably carrying a retainer disposed 180 degrees from the hinge, the method comprising the steps of: removing the door assembly at the hinge from the clothes dryer cabinet, removing the outer door assembly from the inner door assembly, removing the hinge from the inner door assembly and re-securing the hinge on the inner door assembly rotated 180 degrees from an initial hinge position, removing the retainer from the inner door assembly and re-securing the retainer on the inner door assembly rotated 180 degrees from an initial retainer position; re-attaching the outer door assembly to the inner door assembly; and, re-attaching the door assembly at the hinge to the clothes dryer cabinet. 23. The method of claim 22 wherein the outer door assembly comprises a handle mounted to one side of the door, and the method further comprises, prior to the step of re-attaching the outer door assembly, the step of: rotating the outer door assembly relative to the inner door assembly to rotate the handle to another side of the door. 24. The method of claim 23 wherein the outer door assembly is rotated 180 degrees relative to the inner door assembly.