# US 2013/0152641 A1 · Seal assembly for a laundry treating appliance > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2013/0152641 A1 - Document ID: US20130152641A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/326,384 - Filed: 2011-12-15 - Published: 2013-06-20 - Earliest claimed: 2011-12-15 - Assignees: Whirlpool Corporation - Inventors: RAUL HERNANDEZ CARRILLO - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130152641A1 ## CPC - D06F 37/266: {Gaskets mounted between tub and casing around the loading opening} - Y10T 29/49826: Assembling or joining - D06F: LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES - Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION ## Abstract A seal assembly and method for sealing a door and a tub in a laundry treating appliance. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A laundry treating appliance configured to execute a cycle of operation for treating laundry, comprising: a tub at least partially defining an interior and having a tub opening providing access to the tub interior; a drum at least partially defining a treating chamber and having a drum opening providing access to the treating chamber; a door selectively moveable to close the tub opening and having a flat panel, with a rear planar side of the door facing the tub and lying exteriorly of the tub opening when the door closes the tub opening; and a seal assembly provided on at least one of the rear planar side and the tub to seal the rear planar side relative to the tub. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the seal assembly comprises a rigid seal element formed on one of the rear planar side and the tub, a flexible seal element projecting from the other of the rear planar side and the tub, with the rigid seal element and the flexible seal element abutting each other when the door closes the tub. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The laundry treating appliance of claim 2 wherein the rigid seal element is provided on the rear planar side and the flexible seal element projects from the tub. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The laundry treating appliance of claim 3 wherein the door further comprises a frame circumscribing at least a portion of a periphery of the flat panel and at least a portion of the rigid seal element comprises a portion of the frame. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The laundry treating appliance of claim 4 wherein the rigid seal is formed in part by the rear planar side and in part by a raised element formed on the rear planar side and wherein the flexible seal element comprises a first flexible seal that abuts the rear planar side when the door closes the tub and a second flexible seal element that abuts the raised element when the door closes the tub. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The laundry treating appliance of claim 5 wherein the flexible seal element projects from a portion of the tub defining the tub opening. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The laundry treating appliance of claim 6 wherein a portion of the drum overlies at least a portion of the flexible seal element. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The laundry treating appliance of claim 7 wherein the portion of the drum is the drum opening. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The laundry treating appliance of claim 6 wherein the flexible seal element is mounted to a portion of the tub defining the tub opening. ### Claim 10 (depends on 2) The laundry treating appliance of claim 2 wherein the rigid seal element circumscribes at least a portion of the rear planar side and the flexible seal element circumscribes the tub opening, the flexible seal forming a first seal with the rear planar side. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The laundry treating appliance of claim 10 wherein the rigid seal element further comprises a raised element formed on the rear planar side and the flexible seal forms a second seal with the raised element. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the drum comprises a drum rim defining the drum opening, and a gap between the drum rim and the tub is insufficient for laundry to pass between. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The laundry treating appliance of claim 12 wherein the tub comprises a tub rim defining the tub opening and the drum rim is located axially behind the tub rim. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the flat panel comprises an at least partially transparent portion. ### Claim 15 A method of sealing a door in a laundry treating appliance having a drum received within a tub, the method comprising: abutting a flexible seal projecting from the tub against a rigid seal element projecting from a rear planar side of a flat door to form a first seal when the door closes the tub. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 further comprising abutting a portion of the flexible seal against a raised element provided on the rear planar side to form a second seal. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16 wherein the first and second seals are continuous. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17 wherein the first and second seals circumscribe the tub opening. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18 further comprising abutting the rear planar side against the tub when the door closes the tub. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 wherein the rear planar side comprises a frame circumscribing at least a portion of a periphery of the rear planar side with an at least partially transparent, planar portion provided within the frame.