Patent ID: 8083299

Claim:
A housing for a front-loading laundry appliance, the housing comprising: a front wall including a loading opening for loading laundry, a first surface and a first and a second lateral edge, and, at each of the first and second lateral edges, a respective first rearwardly directed flange and a respective second flange originating at the respective first flange and extending substantially parallel to the first surface; a first and a second opposite lateral load-bearing member, the first lateral load-bearing member abutting the first lateral edge of the front wall and the second lateral load-bearing member abutting the second lateral edge of the front wall when the front wall is in a fixed position; a first supporting element disposed in a lower portion of the housing and configured to provide a support for fixing the front wall at a lower edge thereof, the first supporting element being separable from the front wall and the lower portion of the housing, the first supporting element including a forward extending segment extending toward the first surface of the front wall, an upwardly directed pin disposed on the forward extending segment, and at least two intersecting slots disposed at an angle with respect to one another and configured to slidably receive an edge of an opening in the lower portion of the housing so as to attach the first supporting element to the housing; and a respective forwardly projecting positioning element disposed above the first supporting element in a vicinity of a front end of each of the first and second lateral load bearing members; wherein each of the respective second flanges of the front wall includes a respective first opening receiving a respective one of the positioning elements, wherein the front wall includes a lower edge and a second rearwardly directed flange, the second rearwardly directed flange having an upwardly directed depression and a second opening disposed in the upwardly directed depression, wherein the forward extending segment of the first supporting element is disposed in the upwardly directed depression such that the first supporting element is disposed above the lower edge and the second opening receives the upwardly directed pin of the first supporting element.