Patent ID: 7866191

Claim:
An automatic clothes washer comprising: a cabinet defining an interior and having a top defining a loading opening providing access to the cabinet interior; a tub located within the cabinet interior, the tub comprising a bottom wall and a peripheral wall extending upwardly from the bottom wall, with the peripheral wall terminating in an upper edge to define an open top for the tub; a basket located within the tub, the basket comprising a bottom wall and a peripheral wall extending upwardly from the bottom wall, with the peripheral wall terminating in an upper edge to define an open top for the basket; a balancing ring mounted to the upper edge of the basket; a shroud overlying the balancing ring and terminating in a peripheral edge that extends radially inwardly of the balancing ring such that the peripheral edge axially overlaps the balancing ring to define a radial gap between the peripheral edge and the balancing ring; and a clothes trap mounted to the balancing ring and having a barrier flange that extends into the radial gap, wherein the barrier flange effectively reduces the radial gap and stops articles of clothing from passing through the radial gap during a spinning operation of the basket.