Interchangeable door panels for dishwasher

A door for use with an electrically operated appliance, said door comprising:

• a frame having a front side, and defining first and second spaced, panel-receiving channels opening towards each other, and a third channel;
• a first, flexible, decorative panel,
• said panel being substantially flat and defining a first decorative surface to be exposed at the front of the door, said panel having peripheral, rectilinear edge portions, a first and a second of said edge portions being noncontiguous to each other and spaced sufficiently that the panel must be bowed to bring said first and second edge portions toward each other to permit entry of the first and second edge portions into said first and second channels of the frame while the panel is urged toward said front side of the frame and permit the first and second edge portions of the panel when aligned with said first and second channels to be released to permit the panel to return to a flattened state so that said first and second edge portions are retained in said first and second channels,
• said panel further defining third and fourth edge portions,
• said third channel being arranged so that the panel must be moved parallel to the plane of the flat decorative surface to seat the third panel edge portion in the third channel;
• means for removably retaining the fourth panel edge portion in association with the frame,
• whereby the panel is removably mounted to said frame by installation from the front side of the frame, and said retaining means is releasable to permit said panel to be separated from the frame as desired;
• and
• a liner is attached to the frame and affords a backing for the panel, said frame defines a surface facing rearwardly into each of the first, second and third channels and a deformable spacer is interposed between the liner and panel, said spacer being deformable upon assembly of the panel with the frame and upon the panel being assembled exerting a forward force on the panel to keep the panel in place against the surfaces facing rearwardly into the first, second and third channels.

A door for use with an electrically operated appliance, said door comprising:

• a frame assembly consisting of a control console having a downwardly facing surface and a forwardly facing surface adjacent the bottom of the control console, first and second laterally spaced, substantially parallel, vertically extending frame members defining first and second U-shaped channels opening laterally towards each other and a bottom, third frame member defining an upwardly opening, third U-shaped channel,
• each said first, second and third frame members having a forward leg defining a rewardly facing surface and a rear leg defining a forwardly facing surface,
• said forward legs on the first and second frame members having substantially parallel free edges;
• a first, flexible, decorative panel having oppositely facing decorative first and second surfaces for selective exposure at the front of the door,
• said first panel being substantially flat and having rectilinear, peripheral edge portions with a first and second of the edge portions in substantially parallel, spaced relationship,
• said free edges on the first and second frame members being spaced from each other by a distance less than the spacing between the first and second edge portions on the panel so that the panel must be bowed to bring the first and second edge portions on the panel sufficiently close to each other to permit alignment of the first and second edge portions on the panel for entry into the first and second channels upon the panel being released to a flattened state,
• said downwardly facing surface on the control console and the forward leg of the bottom frame member being spaced so that the first and second edge portions on the first panel can be placed in the first and second channels without interference between the panel and either of the forward leg on the bottom frame member and the control console;
• whereupon with the panel released to its flattened state a third edge portion of the panel can be seated in the channel in the bottom frame member by moving the panel vertically downward so that the first, second and third panel edge portions are confined between the forward and rear legs of the first, second and third channels respectively;
• and
• means for removably retaining a fourth edge portion of the panel in association with the control console,
• whereby the panel is removably mounted to said frame by installation from the front side of the frame and said retaining means is releasable to permit said panel to be separated from the frame as desired.

In an appliance door of the type having a frame assembly with a front side and a flexible panel with a flat surface to be exposed at the front of the frame, improved structure for removably mounting the panel on the frame, the improvement comprising:

• said frame having first and second spaced frame members defining first and second panel-receiving longitudinal channels opening towards each other,
• said first and second frame members each having a forward leg defining a surface facing rearwardly into the first and second channels,
• said frame having a third frame member defining a third longitudinal panel-receiving channel extending transversely to the first and second channels,
• said third frame member having a forward leg defining a surface facing rearwardly into the third panel-receiving channel;
• said panel having first, second, third and fourth rectilinear, peripheral edge portions for reception in the first, second, and third channels respectively;
• said frame assembly having a portion projecting forwardly beyond the channels in the first and second frame members and thereby preventing assembly of the panel into the channels by movement of the panel between the first and second frame members towards the channel in the third frame member,
• said first and second peripheral edge portions being spaced from each other so that the panel must be bowed to bring the first and second edge portions towards each other sufficiently to permit entry of the first and second edge portions into the first and second channel while the panel is urged toward said front side of the frame and permit the first and second edge portions, when aligned with the first and second channels to be released to permit the panel to return to a flattened state so that said first and second edge portions are retained in said first and second channels,
• said third and fourth edge portions being spaced so as not to interfere with the forwardly projecting portion of the frame assembly and third frame member upon the introduction of the first and second edge portions into the first and second channel,
• said third edge portion being seated in the third channel upon the panel being shifted parallel to the plane of the flat surface of the panel with the panel released to its flattened state,
• whereby the panel is removably mounted to the frame by installation from the front side of the frame.