Clothes mover for an automatic washer
AssigneeWhirlpool Corporation
InventorsDavid W. Carr, Dale E. Mueller, Basak Oguz, Jon D. Strait
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A washing machine for treating laundry comprising a basket rotatable about a first rotational axis, having a peripheral side wall extending upwardly from a bottom wall to at least partially define a treating chamber; a clothes mover proximate the bottom wall, having a base with a centrally located hub concentric with a second rotational axis about which the clothes mover reciprocally rotates; and at least one vane having an elongated body extending away from the hub and projecting upwardly from the clothes mover to terminate in a tip.
Claims20
A washing machine for treating laundry according to at least one automatic cycle of operation, comprising:
- a basket having a bottom wall and a peripheral side wall extending upwardly from the bottom wall to at least partially define a treating chamber with an open top, with the basket rotatable about a first rotational axis;
- an impeller located within the treating chamber, proximate the bottom wall, and having a base with a periphery and a centrally located hub concentric with a second rotational axis about which the impeller reciprocally rotates;
- a plurality of non-flexible vanes located on the base in a radial spaced relationship relative to each other and extending away from the hub toward the peripheral side wall and terminating at the periphery;
- and
- flexible vanes having a lower edge continuously mounted to and extending upwardly from the base to terminate in a tip and located only in an outer radial half of the base between the non-flexible vanes.
A washing machine for treating laundry according to at least one automatic cycle of operation, comprising:
- a basket having a bottom wall and a peripheral side wall extending upwardly from the bottom wall to at least partially define a treating chamber with an open top, with the basket rotatable about a first rotational axis;
- an impeller located within the treating chamber, proximate the bottom wall, and having a base with a periphery and centrally located hub concentric with a second rotational axis about which the impeller reciprocally rotates;
- a plurality of non-flexible vanes located on the base in a radial spaced relationship relative to each other and extending away from the hub toward the peripheral side wall and terminating at the periphery;
- and
- at least one flexible vane located only in an outer radial half of the base between adjacent pairs of non-flexible vanes and having a lower edge continuously mounted to and extending upwardly from the base.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.