| US 7,562,543 B2 | ||
| Vertical laundry module with backsplash | ||
| James William Kendall, Stevensville, Mich. (US); Ameresh Babu Viswanathan, St. Joseph, Mich. (US); Colleen Marie Doyle, Stevensville, Mich. (US); and Lorraine L. Achterberg, St. Joseph, Mich. (US) | ||
| Assigned to Whirlpool Corporation, Benton Harbor, Mich. (US) | ||
| Filed on Dec. 30, 2005, as Appl. No. 11/322,943. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2007/0151301 A1, Jul. 05, 2007 | ||
| Int. Cl. D06F 39/00 (2006.01); D06F 29/00 (2006.01); A47B 77/08 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 68—13R [312/228.1] | 34 Claims |
| 1. A modular laundry system for performing at least one of a laundry care function and a non-laundry care function, comprising:
a first laundry appliance comprising a housing having a width, an upper surface and defining an interior, a backsplash coupled
to the cabinet and extending above the upper surface, and configured to at least one of wash and dry fabric items;
a second laundry appliance comprising a housing having a width, an upper surface and defining an interior, a backsplash coupled
to the cabinet and extending above the upper surface, and configured to at least one of wash and dry fabric items; and
a vertical laundry module comprising:
a housing defining an interior and having an upper surface and a width less than the width of both the first and second appliances;
a backsplash coupled to the housing and extending above the upper surface; and
one or more functional elements located at least one of interiorly or exteriorly of the housing, wherein any laundry-care
functions are performed by functional elements located exteriorly of the housing;
wherein the first and second laundry appliances and the vertical laundry module are arranged in contiguous relationship to
form a coherent modular system having an effective continuous backsplash.
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