Laundry appliance

Abstract

A laundry machine configured to supply a first amount of water to the wash tub wherein a wash plate can be oscillated such that clothes items directly above and in contact with the impeller are frictionally dragged in a oscillatory manner with the wash chamber while continuing to oscillate said wash plate, an additional supply of water is added to said wash tub such that as cloth items lost frictional engagement with the wash plate, the cloth items continue to move along an inverse toroidal rollover path at higher water levels.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A washing machine, comprising:
 a cabinet;   a wash tub supported within the cabinet;   a wash basket rotatably supported within the wash tub and drivingly connected to a motor; and   a wash plate located within the wash basket, drivingly connected to the motor, and rotatable about an axis, the wash plate comprising:
 a raised central hub encircled by a circular periphery; 
 an upper surface divided into alternating sectors, including six ( 6 ) raised sectors, which form a plurality of vanes, and six ( 6 ) lower sectors, which form a plurality of intermediate lower sectors; 
 wherein:
 each vane of the plurality of vanes extends radially from the raised central hub toward the circular periphery; 
 each vane of the plurality of vanes includes a pair of side walls that extend radially from the raised central hub toward the circular periphery; 
 each of the pairs of side walls terminates at an outer portion of the vane located at the circular periphery; 
 each of the pairs of side walls diverge at least along the outer portion of the vane such that a width of the vane increases at the outer portion of the vane; 
 a radially outermost portion of each side wall hooks toward an adjacent vane; 
 the side walls of adjacent vanes are concave relative to each other and relative to a radius extending from a centre of the wash plate; 
 each of the side walls are outwardly concave; and 
 the outer portion of each vane has an upper face that slopes down to a level of the circular periphery; 
 
 wherein:
 the intermediate lower sectors are located between adjacent vanes of the plurality of vanes; and 
 each of the plurality of intermediate lower sectors has an increasing gradient toward the raised central hub; 
 
   and further comprising:
 groups or arrays of circular apertures through the plurality of intermediate lower sectors, and 
 wherein the circular apertures are located between side walls of adjacent vanes. 
   
     
     
         2 . The washing machine of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of spaced radial ribs on an underside of the wash plate. 
     
     
         3 . The washing machine of  claim 1 , wherein the wash basket includes a base having an annular series of buffers. 
     
     
         4 . The washing machine of  claim 3 , wherein the buffers are low profile buffers. 
     
     
         5 . The washing machine of  claim 3 , wherein the buffers extend radially inward from the side wall of the wash basket. 
     
     
         6 . The washing machine of  claim 5 , wherein each buffer has a height of less than 3 cm, relative to a surrounding surface of the base. 
     
     
         7 . The washing machine of  claim 3 , wherein the base has an annular series of twelve (12) buffers. 
     
     
         8 . The washing machine of  claim 1  wherein the intermediate lower sectors have a generally shallow gradient at the circular periphery. 
     
     
         9 . The washing machine of  claim 1  wherein each of the pairs of side walls is steep. 
     
     
         10 . The washing machine of  claim 1  wherein the circular periphery comprises a generally flat upper surface and the outer portion of the vane radially terminates at the flat upper surface. 
     
     
         11 . The washing machine of  claim 10  wherein the upper face is generally flat at the outer portion of the vane. 
     
     
         12 . The washing machine of  claim 1  wherein adjacent the outer portion of each of the plurality of vanes, a height of the pair of side walls decreases such that the outer portion of each of the plurality of vanes converges to the circular periphery of the wash plate. 
     
     
         13 . The washing machine of  claim 1  wherein the plurality of vanes occupy between 0.33 and 0.66 of a plan area of the wash plate. 
     
     
         14 . The washing machine of  claim 1  wherein there are no apertures directly adjacent the plurality of vanes. 
     
     
         15 . The washing machine of  claim 1  wherein the plurality of vanes each have a continuously increasing width as they extend radially away from the raised central hub. 
     
     
         16 . The washing machine of  claim 1 , wherein the wash plate is configured to be fitted to a shaft within the wash basket. 
     
     
         17 . A wash plate, comprising:
 a central hub encircled by a circular periphery;   a plurality of vanes extending substantially radially from the central hub toward the circular periphery, the plurality of vanes comprising:
 an outer portion terminating at the circular periphery; and 
 a pair of side walls that extend radially from the central hub and diverge at least along the outer portion such that a width of the vane increases at the circular periphery and where at least a portion of a side surface of each vane is outwardly concave; 
   intermediate lower sectors located between the plurality of vanes, wherein the intermediate lower sectors have an increasing gradient toward the central hub; and   apertures through the intermediate lower sectors, wherein the apertures are located between the plurality of vanes.   
     
     
         18 . A washing machine, comprising:
 a cabinet;   a wash tub supported within the cabinet;   a motor suspended beneath the wash tub;   a wash basket rotatably supported within the wash tub and drivingly connected to the motor and having a base;   a wash plate defining a circular periphery and comprising:
 a central hub encircled by the circular periphery; 
 a plurality of vanes extending substantially radially from the central hub toward the circular periphery, each of the plurality of vanes comprising:
 an outer portion terminating at the circular periphery; and 
 a pair of side walls that extend radially from the central hub and diverge at least along the outer portion such that a width of the vane increases at the circular periphery and where a radially outermost portion of each side wall hooks toward an adjacent vane such that a side surface of each vane is outwardly concave; and 
 
 intermediate lower sectors located between the plurality of vanes, where the intermediate lower sectors have an increasing gradient toward the central hub and apertures located between the plurality of vanes. 
   
     
     
         19 . The washing machine of  claim 18 , wherein the base includes an annular series of twelve (12) low profile buffers that extend from the side wall of the wash basket.