Patent Publication Number: US-2015082837-A1

Title: Laundry treating appliance with integrated dynamic balancer

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.