Patent ID: 8690268

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a laundry treating apparatus, the method comprising: providing a cabinet having an open front portion, and a modular control panel having a mounting plate coupled to a selection controller; forming a front panel for the cabinet to comprise a continuous front surface having at least three openings, including a door opening for a door, a panel opening for the modular control panel, and a detergent box opening for a detergent box, a plurality of side surfaces which extend continuously from the front surface, at least one seamless corner where the front surface and two of the plurality of side surfaces meet, and a plurality of flanges extending from the plurality of side surfaces, a plurality of coupling holes being formed in the plurality of flanges; mounting the modular control panel to a rear of the front panel by securing the mounting plate to the plurality of flanges by a plurality of coupling members and the plurality of coupling holes; and mounting the front panel in combination with the modular control panel as a single module to the open front portion of the cabinet after mounting the modular panel to the rear of the front panel, wherein the mounting of the modular control panel to the front panel by securing the modular control panel to the plurality of flanges comprises inserting the selection controller of the modular control into the panel opening, and attaching the mounting plate of the modular control panel to the plurality of flanges, wherein the selection controller is exposed outside through the panel opening.