LAUNDRY TREATING APPLIANCE WITH INTEGRATED DYNAMIC BALANCER

Abstract

A laundry treating appliance includes a rotatable drum for receiving a laundry load. The rotatable drum includes a cylindrical body with an cylindrical wall, and a cover at one or both ends. The cover has an annular groove formed by a first, second, and third walls. A fourth wall extends from the second wall. A first land is secured to the third wall and a second land is secured to the fourth wall. An adjoining piece has an adjoining wall that is attached to and extends between the first and second lands. A hollow space is bounded by the adjoining wall and the second and third walls. A movable mass is disposed in the space.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Laundry treating appliances, such as a washing machine, may implement cycles of operation in which a drum defining a treating chamber for receiving a laundry load is rotated at high speeds, such as a spin or water extraction phase. For example, to extract the water from the laundry load, the drum is typically spun at high speeds. If a sufficiently large enough load imbalance is present, the laundry treating appliance may experience undesirable vibrations and movements when the drum is rotated at high speeds during the spin phase.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the invention relates to a laundry treating appliance that includes a rotatable drum for receiving a laundry load. The rotatable drum includes a cylindrical body with a cylindrical wall about a longitudinal axis, and a cover at one end thereof. The cover has an annular groove formed by a first wall adjacent to the cylindrical wall, a second wall spaced from the first wall, and a third wall extending between the first and second walls. A fourth wall extends from the second wall, generally normal to the longitudinal axis. A first land is secured to the third wall, and a second land is secured to the fourth wall. An adjoining piece has one or more adjoining walls. The adjoining wall is attached to and extends between the first and second land such that a hollow space is bounded by the adjoining wall and the second and third walls. A movable mass is disposed in the space.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS IN THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a laundry treating appliance in the form of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic of a control system of the laundry treating appliance of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view, partly in cross section, of an integrated dynamic balancer in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is the cross section of the integrated dynamic balancer of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a cross section of the integrated dynamic balancer of FIG. 3 taken along lines V-V.

FIG. 6 is a cross section of an integrated dynamic balancer in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross section of an integrated dynamic balancer in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 a schematic view of a laundry treating appliance in the form of a washing machine according to another embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a laundry treating appliance according to a first embodiment of the invention. The laundry treating appliance may be any appliance which performs a cycle of operation to clean or otherwise treat items placed therein, non-limiting examples of which include a horizontal or vertical axis clothes washer; a combination washing machine and dryer; a tumbling or stationary refreshing/revitalizing machine; an extractor; a non-aqueous washing apparatus; and a revitalizing machine.

The laundry treating appliance of FIG. 1 is illustrated as a washing machine 10, which may include a structural support system comprising a cabinet 12 which defines a housing within which a laundry holding system resides. The cabinet 12 may be a housing having a chassis and/or a frame, defining an interior that encloses components typically found in a conventional washing machine, such as motors, pumps, fluid lines, controls, sensors, transducers, and the like. Such components will not be described further herein except as necessary for a complete understanding of the invention.

The laundry holding system comprises a tub 14 supported within the cabinet 12 by a suitable suspension system and a rotatable drum 16 provided within the tub 14, the rotatable drum 16 defining at least a portion of a laundry treating chamber 18 having a longitudinal axis 21. The longitudinal axis 21 of the rotatable drum 16 is preferably coincident with a horizontal or non-vertical axis, though it is within the scope of the invention to accommodate a rotatable drum on a vertical axis of rotation. See, for example, an embodiment of a vertical axis washing machine according to the invention in FIG. 8. The rotatable drum 16 may include a plurality of perforations 20 such that liquid may flow between the tub 14 and the rotatable drum 16 through the perforations 20. A plurality of baffles 22 may be disposed on an inner surface of the rotatable drum 16 to lift the laundry load received in the treating chamber 18 while the rotatable drum 16 rotates. It is also within the scope of the invention for the laundry holding system to comprise only a tub with the tub defining the laundry treating chamber.

The rotatable drum 16 has a front side 17 and a rear side 19. The front side 17 includes a front cover 30 with an opening 32 therein to accommodate receiving laundry. The rear side 19 also has a rear cover 34. The covers 30, 34 thus form part of the drum 16.

The laundry holding system may further include a door 24 which may be movably mounted to the cabinet 12 to selectively close both the tub 14 and the drum 16. A bellows 26 may couple an open face of the tub 14 with the cabinet 12, with the door 24 sealing against the bellows 26 when the door 24 closes the tub 14.

The washing machine 10 may further include a suspension system 28 for dynamically suspending the laundry holding system within the structural support system.

The washing machine 10 may further include a liquid supply system for supplying water to the washing machine 10 for use in treating laundry during a cycle of operation. The liquid supply system may include a source of water, such as a household water supply 40, which may include separate valves 42 and 44 for controlling the flow of hot and cold water, respectively. Water may be supplied through an inlet conduit 46 directly to the tub 14 by controlling first and second diverter mechanisms 48 and 50, respectively. The diverter mechanisms 48, 50 may be a diverter valve having two outlets such that the diverter mechanisms 48, 50 may selectively direct a flow of liquid to one or both of two flow paths. Water from the household water supply 40 may flow through the inlet conduit 46 to the first diverter mechanism 48 which may direct the flow of liquid to a supply conduit 52. The second diverter mechanism 50 on the supply conduit 52 may direct the flow of liquid to a tub outlet conduit 54 which may be provided with a spray nozzle 56 configured to spray the flow of liquid into the tub 14. In this manner, water from the household water supply 40 may be supplied directly to the tub 14.

The washing machine 10 may also be provided with a dispensing system for dispensing treating chemistry to the treating chamber 18 for use in treating the laundry according to a cycle of operation. The dispensing system may include a dispenser 62 which may be a single use dispenser, a bulk dispenser or a combination of a single use and a bulk dispenser. Non-limiting examples of suitable dispensers are disclosed in U.S. Pub. No. 2010/0000022 to Hendrickson et al., filed Jul. 1, 2008, entitled “Household Cleaning Appliance with a Dispensing System Operable Between a Single Use Dispensing System and a Bulk Dispensing System,” U.S. Pub. No. 2010/0000024 to Hendrickson et al., filed Jul. 1, 2008, entitled “Apparatus and Method for Controlling Laundering Cycle by Sensing Wash Aid Concentration,” U.S. Pub. No. 2010/0000573 to Hendrickson et al., filed Jul. 1, 2008, entitled “Apparatus and Method for Controlling Concentration of Wash Aid in Wash Liquid,” U.S. Pub. No. 2010/0000581 to Doyle et al., filed Jul. 1, 2008, entitled “Water Flow Paths in a Household Cleaning Appliance with Single Use and Bulk Dispensing,” U.S. Pub. No. 2010/0000264 to Luckman et al., filed Jul. 1, 2008, entitled “Method for Converting a Household Cleaning Appliance with a Non-Bulk Dispensing System to a Household Cleaning Appliance with a Bulk Dispensing System,” U.S. Pub. No. 2010/0000586 to Hendrickson, filed Jun. 23, 2009, entitled “Household Cleaning Appliance with a Single Water Flow Path for Both Non-Bulk and Bulk Dispensing,” and application Ser. No. 13/093,132, filed Apr. 25, 2011, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Dispensing Treating Chemistry in a Laundry Treating Appliance,” which are herein incorporated by reference in full.

Regardless of the type of dispenser used, the dispenser 62 may be configured to dispense a treating chemistry directly to the tub 14 or mixed with water from the liquid supply system through a dispensing outlet conduit 64. The dispensing outlet conduit 64 may include a dispensing nozzle 66 configured to dispense the treating chemistry into the tub 14 in a desired pattern and under a desired amount of pressure. For example, the dispensing nozzle 66 may be configured to dispense a flow or stream of treating chemistry into the tub 14 by gravity, i.e. a non-pressurized stream. Water may be supplied to the dispenser 62 from the supply conduit 52 by directing the diverter mechanism 50 to direct the flow of water to a dispensing supply conduit 68.

Non-limiting examples of treating chemistries that may be dispensed by the dispensing system during a cycle of operation include one or more of the following: water, enzymes, fragrances, stiffness/sizing agents, wrinkle releasers/reducers, softeners, antistatic or electrostatic agents, stain repellants, water repellants, energy reduction/extraction aids, antibacterial agents, medicinal agents, vitamins, moisturizers, shrinkage inhibitors, and color fidelity agents, and combinations thereof.

The washing machine 10 may also include a recirculation and drain system for recirculating liquid within the laundry holding system and draining liquid from the washing machine 10. Liquid supplied to the tub 14 through tub outlet conduit 54 and/or the dispensing supply conduit 68 typically enters a space between the tub 14 and the drum 16 and may flow by gravity to a sump 70 formed in part by a lower portion of the tub 14. The sump 70 may also be formed by a sump conduit 72 that may fluidly couple the lower portion of the tub 14 to a pump 74. The pump 74 may direct liquid to a drain conduit 76, which may drain the liquid from the washing machine 10, or to a recirculation conduit 78, which may terminate at a recirculation inlet 80. The recirculation inlet 80 may direct the liquid from the recirculation conduit 78 into the drum 16. The recirculation inlet 80 may introduce the liquid into the drum 16 in any suitable manner, such as by spraying, dripping, or providing a steady flow of liquid. In this manner, liquid provided to the tub 14, with or without treating chemistry may be recirculated into the treating chamber 18 for treating the laundry within.

The liquid supply and/or recirculation and drain system may be provided with a heating system which may include one or more devices for heating laundry and/or liquid supplied to the tub 14, such as a steam generator 82 and/or a sump heater 84. Liquid from the household water supply 40 may be provided to the steam generator 82 through the inlet conduit 46 by controlling the first diverter mechanism 48 to direct the flow of liquid to a steam supply conduit 86. Steam generated by the steam generator 82 may be supplied to the tub 14 through a steam outlet conduit 87. The steam generator 82 may be any suitable type of steam generator such as a flow through steam generator or a tank-type steam generator. Alternatively, the sump heater 84 may be used to generate steam in place of or in addition to the steam generator 82. In addition or alternatively to generating steam, the steam generator 82 and/or sump heater 84 may be used to heat the laundry and/or liquid within the tub 14 as part of a cycle of operation.

Additionally, the liquid supply and recirculation and drain system may differ from the configuration shown in FIG. 1, such as by inclusion of other valves, conduits, treating chemistry dispensers, sensors, such as water level sensors and temperature sensors, and the like, to control the flow of liquid through the washing machine 10 and for the introduction of more than one type of treating chemistry.

The washing machine 10 also includes a drive system for rotating the drum 16 within the tub 14. The drive system may include a motor 88, which may be directly coupled with the rotatable drum 16 through a drive shaft 90 at or about the rear cover 34 to rotate the drum 16 about a rotational axis during a cycle of operation. The motor 88 may be a brushless permanent magnet (BPM) motor having a stator 92 and a rotor 94. Alternately, the motor 88 may be coupled to the drum 16 through a belt and a drive shaft to rotate the rotatable drum 16, as is known in the art. Other motors, such as an induction motor or a permanent split capacitor (PSC) motor, may also be used. The motor 88 may rotate the drum 16 at various speeds in either rotational direction.

The washing machine 10 also includes a control system for controlling the operation of the washing machine 10 to implement one or more cycles of operation. The control system may include a controller 96 located within the cabinet 12 and a user interface 98 that is operably coupled with the controller 96. The user interface 98 may include one or more knobs, dials, switches, displays, touch screens and the like for communicating with the user, such as to receive input and provide output. The user may enter different types of information including, without limitation, cycle selection and cycle parameters, such as cycle options.

The controller 96 may include the machine controller and any additional controllers provided for controlling any of the components of the washing machine 10. For example, the controller 96 may include the machine controller and a motor controller. Many known types of controllers may be used for the controller 96. The specific type of controller is not germane to the invention. It is contemplated that the controller is a microprocessor-based controller that implements control software and sends/receives one or more electrical signals to/from each of the various working components to effect the control software. As an example, proportional control (P), proportional integral control (PI), and proportional derivative control (PD), or a combination thereof, a proportional integral derivative control (PID control), may be used to control the various components.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the controller 96 may be provided with a memory 106 and a central processing unit (CPU) 102. The memory 106 may be used for storing the control software that is executed by the CPU 102 in completing a cycle of operation using the washing machine 10 and any additional software. Examples, without limitation, of cycles of operation include: wash, heavy duty wash, delicate wash, quick wash, pre-wash, refresh, rinse only, and timed wash. The memory 106 may also be used to store information, such as a database or table, and to store data received from one or more components of the washing machine 10 that may be communicably coupled with the controller 96. The database or table may be used to store the various operating parameters for the one or more cycles of operation, including factory default values for the operating parameters and any adjustments to them by the control system or by user input.

The controller 96 may be operably coupled with one or more components of the washing machine 10 for communicating with and controlling the operation of the component to complete a cycle of operation. For example, the controller 96 may be operably coupled with the motor 88, the pump 74, the dispenser 62, the steam generator 82 and the sump heater 84 to control the operation of these and other components to implement one or more of the cycles of operation.

The controller 96 may also be coupled with one or more sensors 104 provided in one or more of the systems of the washing machine 10 to receive input from the sensors, which are known in the art and not shown for simplicity. Non-limiting examples of sensors 104 that may be communicably coupled with the controller 96 include: a treating chamber temperature sensor, a moisture sensor, a weight sensor, a chemical sensor, a position sensor and a motor torque sensor, which may be used to determine a variety of system and laundry characteristics, such as laundry load inertia or mass.

The laundry treating appliance 10 may also include an integrated dynamic balancer 100 at the front 17 and/or rear 19 side of the rotatable drum 16 to offset an imbalance that may occur in the treating chamber 18 during rotation of the rotatable drum 16 during a cycle of operation. The term “integrated” is used to describe that the balancer 100 is integrated with the rotatable drum 16, and in the illustrated embodiments, by way of the covers 30, 34. FIGS. 3-5 illustrate views of an embodiment of the integrated dynamic balancer 100 in the context of a front cover 30 and its opening 32. Looking again also at FIG. 1, the integrated dynamic balancer 100 is disposed coaxially with the longitudinal axis 21 of the treating chamber 18. The rotatable drum 16 encloses the treating chamber 18 in a cylindrical body 112 defined in part by a cylindrical wall 114 and the front cover 30. The front cover 30 is coupled to the cylindrical wall 114 at a suitable junction 116, which may include any of or any combination of crimping, welding, riveting, fastening, screwing, or the like. The front cover 30 of the drum 16 has an annular groove 118 defined by a first wall 120, a second wall 122 spaced from the first wall and generally parallel thereto, and a third wall 124 extending between the first and second walls. A fourth wall 126 extends from the second wall 122 to an edge 128 that defines the opening 32. At least a portion of the fourth wall extends generally normal to the longitudinal axis. In other words, it will be understood that the fourth wall need not be planar and portions thereof may vary in orientation relative to the longitudinal axis. The front cover 30 is preferably made of metal, such as stainless steel, as is preferably the cylindrical wall 114.

The front cover 30 may have two ranks of discontinuities, one rank of discontinuities 130 on the fourth wall 126, and a second rank of discontinuities 132 on the third wall 124. Each rank of discontinuities is annular in that it is radially spaced from the longitudinal axis 21. Each rank is preferably offset from the other in that the discontinuities of each rank do not lie on the same radius from the longitudinal axis 21. The discontinuities may be apertures or perforations in the third and fourth walls 124, 126 as shown FIGS. 3-5.

A first land 136 extends annularly on an outer side of the third wall 124 within the annular groove 118. It is secured to the third wall 124, preferably, but not necessarily, at the rank of discontinuities therein. The first land 136 may be secured to the third wall 124 by adhesion, mechanical attachment, welding or molding or any combination thereof. A second land 138 extends annularly on an outer side of the fourth wall 126 between the second wall 122 and the edge 128. It is secured to the fourth wall 126, preferably, but not necessarily at the rank of discontinuities therein. The second land 138 may be secured to the fourth wall 126 by adhesion, mechanical attachment, welding or molding or any combination thereof. Preferably, the first and second lands 136, 138 will be formed of a thermoplastic material in which case securement by adhesion would require an adhesive that bonds the plastic lands 136, 138 to the metal cover 30. Alternatively, the lands 136, 138 may be formed of the same material as the cover 30 (plastic or metal), in which case they may be secured to the cover by welding.

FIG. 6 illustrates a mechanical securement where bosses 190 in the cover 30 form the ranks of discontinuities and the lands 136, 138 are secured to the bosses, such as by snap fit. FIG. 7 illustrates another securement where apertures or perforations in the cover 30 form the ranks of discontinuities and fasteners extend through the apertures. Fasteners may include fasteners 192 in the form of posts or bosses to which the lands 136, 138 may be secured by mechanical attachment or by adhesion or by welding. Fasteners 192 may also include screws, bolts, rivets and the like. It will be understood that the lands 136, 138 may be molded to the cover 30 at the discontinuities such as by placing the cover in a mold, and injection molding the lands to and through apertures or perforations, resulting one or more support pieces 134 on an inner side of the cover 30, e.g. a support piece for each land.

Returning to FIGS. 3-5, a single support piece 134 may be secured to the front cover 30 of the drum 16 by injection molding. The support piece 134 may comprise a moldable material such as a thermoplastic, such that in the molding process, material flows through the ranks of discontinuities 130, 132, which in this case would be apertures or perforations. The molding process produces, integrally, the first land 136 extending annularly on an outer side of the third wall 124 within the annular groove 118, and the second land 138 extending annularly on an outer side of the fourth wall 126 between the second wall 122 and the edge 128. Between the first and second lands 136, 138 on an inner side of the front cover 30 extends an insulating layer 140. Note that the “inner side” and “outer side” are relative to the interior and exterior, respectively, of the treating chamber 18, and do not necessarily reflect the actual positioning of the integrated dynamic balancer 100 or a washing machine in which it may be installed during use.

An adjoining piece 142 is preferably formed of a material similar to the material of the first and second lands 136, 138, and has at least one adjoining wall 143 of the balancer 100 that is attached to and extends between the first and second lands 136, 138. The adjoining wall 143 of the balancer 100 and the second and third walls 122, 124 of the drum 16 thus bound a hollow space 148. A movable mass 150 may be disposed in the space 148. The adjoining piece 142 may be L-shaped in cross section, defined by a first adjoining wall 144 and a second adjoining wall 146. The first adjoining wall 144 may be attached to the first land 136 and the second adjoining wall 146 may be attached to the second land 138 to define the hollow space 148 bounded by the first and second adjoining walls 144, 146, and the second and third walls 122, 124 of the drum 16. Preferably the hollow space is fluid-tight to enable it to contain a fluid without leaking. To this end, seals may be provided to render the space fluid-tight. Exemplary seals may include O-rings, gaskets, or the like.

A first chamfer 152 may be disposed on the first land 136 between the adjoining wall 143 of the balancer 100 or the first adjoining wall 144 and the third wall 124 of the balancer 100 to provide a surface therebetween against which the mass 150 may move. Similarly, a second chamfer 154 may be provided between the adjoining wall 143 of the balancer 100 or the second adjoining wall 146 and the second wall 122 to provide a surface therebetween against which the mass 150 may move. The adjoining wall 143 or the second adjoining wall 146 may have an extending flange 156 that attaches to the second land 138 and the second chamfer 154 may abut the adjoining wall 143 or the second wall 122 at the extending flange 156.

The first adjoining wall 144 may include a support flange 158 extending to the first wall 120 to resist deformation of the adjoining wall 144 that might otherwise occur due to centrifugal forces acting upon the first adjoining wall 144 by the movable mass 150 when the rotatable drum 16 rotates at high speed. The first adjoining wall 144 may also include a foot 160 for attaching to the first land 136. The foot 160 may have a groove 162 and the first land 136 may have a ridge 164 dimensioned to be received in the groove 162 for a snap fit engagement. Similarly, the second adjoining wall 146 or the extending flange 156 may have a foot 166 for attaching to the second land 138. The foot 166 may have a groove 168 and the second land 138 may have a ridge 170 dimensioned to be received in the groove 162 for a snap fit engagement. Alternatively, or in addition to, the described connection, welding processes and/or adhesives may be used to reinforce the connections between the adjoining piece 142 and the first and second lands 136, 138. For best results, the connections should be adhered to form a fluid tight seal when the mass 150 disposed in the space 148 includes a liquid.

The mass 150 movable along the space may include a fluid, such as water, salt water, oil or other viscous fluid, for example, and optionally one or more moveable weights, such as spherical balls. The mass 150 may partially fill the chamber and may distribute or collect unevenly to offset an unbalanced condition in the rotatable drum 16.

The adjoining piece 142 and the lands 136, 138 are preferably made from an injection molded plastic material, but could be made from steel or aluminum. Other suitable materials for forming the adjoining piece 142 and the lands 136, 138 and/or the support piece 134 are contemplated and may include plastics, metals, alloys etc. The front cover 30, including the annular groove 118 is preferably made from metal such as steel or aluminum.

It will be understood that more than one integrated dynamic balancer 100 may be disposed in a laundry treating device. For example, in a horizontal axis washing machine, there may be a dynamic balancer device 100 at both the front and rear sides 17, 19 of the rotatable drum 16. It will be further understood that the integration of the balancer 100 with the drum 16 may include placing the lands 136, 138 anywhere on the covers 30, 34 or on the cylindrical wall 114. As well, the covers 30, 34 may or may not have an annular groove 118. Moreover, the adjoining wall 144 may be attached directly to the drum 16 by way of the cylindrical wall 114 and/or the covers 30, 34 with or without the ranks of discontinuities or the lands.

The scope of this disclosure is intended to include any of the following features and in any or all combinations or permutations thereof.

1. A laundry treating appliance with an integrated dynamic balancer comprising:

a rotatable drum for receiving a laundry load wherein the rotatable drum includes a cylindrical body with a cylindrical wall about a longitudinal axis, and a cover at one end thereof, the cover having an annular groove formed by a first wall adjacent to the cylindrical wall, a second wall spaced from the first wall, a third wall extending between the first and second walls, and a fourth wall having at least a portion thereof extending from the second wall generally normal to the longitudinal axis,

a first land secured to the third wall, and a second land secured to the fourth wall,

an adjoining piece having at least one adjoining wall attached to and extending between the first and second lands wherein a space is bounded by the at least one adjoining wall and the second and third walls, and

a mass disposed in the space and movable therein.

2. The laundry treating appliance of 1 wherein the rotatable drum is rotatable relative to a vertical axis.

3. The laundry treating appliance of 1 wherein the rotatable drum is rotatable relative to a non-vertical axis.

4. The laundry treating appliance of 1 wherein the adjoining piece has a first adjoining wall and a second adjoining wall arranged in an L-shaped cross section.

5. The laundry treating appliance of 4 wherein the first adjoining wall has a support flange extending to the first wall.

6. The laundry treating appliance of 4 wherein the second adjoining wall includes an extending flange that attaches to the second land.

7. The laundry treating appliance of 6 comprising a chamfer at the extending flange that abuts the second wall.

8. The laundry treating appliance of 6 wherein the second land has a ridge and the extending flange has a groove configured to accept the ridge of the second land.

9. The laundry treating appliance of 4 wherein the first land has a chamfer that abuts the third wall.

10. The laundry treating appliance of 4 wherein the cover is formed of metal.

11. The laundry treating appliance of 4 wherein the first land has a ridge or a groove and the first adjoining wall has a ridge or a groove configured to accept the complementary ridge or groove of the first land.

12. The laundry treating appliance of 4 wherein the second land has a ridge and the second adjoining wall has a groove configured to accept the ridge of the second land.

13. The laundry treating appliance of 1 wherein the cover comprises a front cover having an opening through which the laundry load can be received.

14. The laundry treating appliance of 1 wherein the cover comprises a rear cover.

15. The laundry treating appliance of 1 wherein the mass includes at least one of balls, viscous fluid, or water.

16. The laundry treating appliance of 1 wherein the third wall and/or the fourth wall have a rank of discontinuities and at least one rank of discontinuities comprises a fastener at each discontinuity to which one of the first and second lands is secured.

17. The laundry treating appliance of 16 wherein each fastener comprises a boss.

18. The laundry treating appliance of 17 wherein each boss is stamped into the cover.

19. The laundry treating appliance of 16 wherein each discontinuity comprises a perforation in the cover.

20. The laundry treating appliance of 16 wherein a fastener is secured in each perforation.

21. The laundry treating appliance of 20 wherein a support piece is secured to one side of the cover and has portions that extend through each perforation to the other side of the cover, and to which one of the first and second lands is secured.

22. The laundry treating appliance of 21 wherein the support piece extends over part of the one side of the cover.

23. The laundry treating appliance of 1 wherein both ranks of discontinuities comprise a fastener at each discontinuity to which one of the first and second lands is secured.

24. The laundry treating appliance of 23 wherein each discontinuity is a perforation in the cover.

25. The laundry treating appliance of 24 wherein a support piece is secured to one side of the cover and has portions that extend through each perforation at each rank to the other side of the cover, and to which one of the first and second lands is secured.

26. The laundry treating appliance of 25 wherein the support piece has portions that extend through each perforation at both ranks and has an insulating layer that extends over the cover between the ranks.

27. The laundry treating appliance of 1 wherein the first and second lands are secured to the cover by at least one of adhesion, mechanical attachment, welding, or molding.

28. A method of manufacturing, comprising:

molding a first plastic pieces onto a cover of a washing machine basket having an annular groove, with the first plastic piece being at least partially in the annular groove;

molding a second plastic piece onto the cover of the washing machine basket having an annular groove, with the second plastic piece being one of at least partially in the annular groove or adjacent to the annular groove;

inserting a third plastic piece such that the third plastic piece makes contact with the first and second plastic pieces to substantially enclose at least a portion of the annular groove; and

joining the third plastic piece with the first and second plastic pieces to create a substantially fluid tight chamber enclosed by the cover of the washing machine, the first plastic piece, the second plastic piece, and the third plastic piece.

29. A method of making an integrated dynamic balancer comprising:

attaching first and second annular lands to a cover having at least one wall, wherein the annular lands are spaced from each other;

attaching an annular adjoining piece having a adjoining wall wherein the adjoining wall has an annular foot at each end thereof; and

joining one of the annular feet to the first land and the other of the annular feet to the second land to create a substantially fluid tight space bounded at least in part by the at least one wall and the adjoining wall.

While the invention has been specifically described in connection with certain specific embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that this is by way of illustration and not of limitation. Reasonable variation and modification are possible within the scope of the forgoing disclosure and drawings without departing from the spirit of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A laundry treating appliance with an integrated dynamic balancer comprising:

a rotatable drum for receiving a laundry load wherein the rotatable drum includes a cylindrical body with a cylindrical wall about a longitudinal axis, and a cover at one end thereof, the cover having an annular groove formed by a first wall adjacent to the cylindrical wall, a second wall spaced from the first wall, a third wall extending between the first and second walls, and a fourth wall having at least a portion thereof extending from the second wall generally normal to the longitudinal axis,

a first land secured to the third wall, and a second land secured to the fourth wall,

a adjoining piece having at least one adjoining wall attached to and extending between the first and second lands wherein a hollow space is bounded by the at least one adjoining wall and the second and third walls, and

a mass disposed in the hollow space and movable therein.

2. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the rotatable drum is rotatable relative to a vertical axis.

3. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the rotatable drum is rotatable relative to a non-vertical axis.

4. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the adjoining piece has a first adjoining wall and a second adjoining wall arranged in an L-shaped cross section.

5. The laundry treating appliance of claim 4 wherein the first adjoining wall has a support flange extending to the first wall.

6. The laundry treating appliance of claim 4 wherein the second adjoining wall includes an extending flange that attaches to the second land.

7. The laundry treating appliance of claim 6 comprising a chamfer at the extending flange that abuts the second wall.

8. The laundry treating appliance of claim 6 wherein the second land has a ridge and the extending flange has a groove configured to accept the ridge of the second land.

9. The laundry treating appliance of claim 4 wherein the first land has a chamfer that abuts the third wall.

10. The laundry treating appliance of claim 4 wherein the cover is formed of metal.

11. The laundry treating appliance of claim 4 wherein the first land has one of a ridge and a groove and the first adjoining wall has the other of a ridge and a groove configured to accept the one of the ridge and the groove of the first land.

12. The laundry treating appliance of claim 4 wherein the second land has a ridge and the second adjoining wall has a groove configured to accept the ridge of the second land.

13. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the cover is a front cover having an opening through which the laundry load can be received.

14. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the cover is a rear cover.

15. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the mass includes at least one of balls, viscous fluid, or water.

16. The laundry treating appliance of claim 1 wherein the third wall and the fourth wall each have a rank of discontinuities and at least one rank of discontinuities comprises a fastener at each discontinuity to which one of the first and second lands is secured.

17. The laundry treating appliance of claim 16 wherein each fastener is a boss.

18. The laundry treating appliance of claim 17 wherein each boss is stamped into the cover.

19. The laundry treating appliance of claim 16 wherein each discontinuity is a perforation in the cover.

20. A method of manufacturing, comprising:

molding a first plastic pieces onto a cover of a washing machine basket having an annular groove, with the first plastic piece being at least partially in the annular groove;

molding a second plastic piece onto the cover of the washing machine basket having an annular groove, with the second plastic piece being one of at least partially in the annular groove or adjacent to the annular groove;

inserting a third plastic piece such that the third plastic piece makes contact with the first and second plastic pieces to substantially enclose at least a portion of the annular groove; and

joining the third plastic piece with the first and second plastic pieces to create a substantially fluid tight chamber enclosed by the cover of the washing machine, the first plastic piece, the second plastic piece, and the third plastic piece.