Vane arrangement for clothes washing machine

In combination with a vertical axis washing machine of the type including a fabric item receiving receptacle means, means for introducing a wash solution into said receptacle, and means for agitating the wash solution-fabric item load, said means including a rotatable wash load agitating member and means for rotating said agitating member about an axis, alternately in one direction and the opposite direction, said agitating member having a portion thereof located in the lower region of said receptacle to come into contact with said fabric item load in the lower region of said receptacle;

• a vane arrangement carried by said agitating member portion comprised of at least one vane shape having a vane edge leading with respect to said one direction of rotation of said agitating member and extending generally horizontally through said lower region in a radially canted direction with respect to said axis of rotation of said agitating member and further having a surface adjacent the trailing side of said vane edge with respect to said one direction of rotation of said agitating member, said surface inclined from the vertical, whereby a draping engagement of fabric items with said vane edge is produced upon rotation of said agitating member in said direction;
• said direction of radial cant being such as to locate said axis of rotation behind the line of said vane edge as said vane edge leads said rotative movement of said agitating member into said load, said vane arrangement further including at least one other vane shape, said at least one other vane shape having a vane edge leading with respect to said opposite direction of rotation of said agitating member and extending along a radially canted direction, said at least one other vane shape further including a surface adjacent the trailing side of said one other vane shape vane edge with rotation of said agitating member in said opposite direction, said surface being inclined from the vertical;
• said direction of radial cant of said one other vane shape vane edge being such as to locate said axis of rotation behind the line of said one other vane shape vane edge as said one other vane shape vane edge leads said rotative movement of said agitating member into said load;
• whereby fabric items in contact with said vane shapes are forced into draping engagement with said respective vane edges by said rotation in said one direction and said opposite direction, said vane edges acting on said fabric items during said alternate rotation in said one and said opposite directions to cause a radially outward ramping movement of said fabric items and a resultant circulating movement of said fabric items within said receptacle by said radially outward movement of said items in the lower region of said receptacle.