Laundry machine

A clothes dryer comprising:

• a housing defining (i) an internal cavity and (ii) having a plurality of outer panels, wherein each outer panel has an interior surface and an exterior surface, and a first of the outer panels defines an orifice;
• a fan configured to direct air through the internal cavity;
• and
• a sound blocker (i) disposed within the cavity, (ii) configured to linearly slide between a first position and a second position along the interior surface of the first of the outer panels, and (iii) configured to maintain act interior surface of the first of the outer panels, wherein (a) in the first position the sound blocker is disposed over the orifice to obstruct fluid communication between the internal cavity and an exterior of the housing via the orifice and to reduce noise emitted through the orifice, and (b) in the second position the sound blocker is retracted away from the orifice to allow fluid communication between the internal cavity and the exterior of the housing via the orifice.

A clothes dryer comprising:

• a housing defining an (i) internal cavity and (ii) having a plurality of outer panels, wherein each outer panel has an interior surface and an exterior surface, and a first of the outer panels defines an orifice;
• a fan configured to exhaust air from the internal cavity via the orifice;
• a plate (i) disposed within the cavity, (ii) configured to linearly slide between a first position and a second position along the interior surface of the first of the outer panels, and (ii) configured to maintain contact with the interior surface of the first of the outer panels, wherein (a) in the first position the plate is disposed over the orifice to obstruct fluid communication between the internal cavity and an exterior of the housing via the orifice and to reduce noise emitted through the orifice, and (b) in the second position the plate is retracted away from the orifice to allow fluid communication between the internal cavity and the exterior of the housing via the orifice;
• and
• a controller programmed to,
• in response to an absence of a command to exhaust air from the internal cavity via the orifice, shutdown the fan and transition the plate to the first position, and
• in response to the command to exhaust air from the internal cavity via the orifice, activate the fan and transition the plate to the second position.