Patent ID: 8276406

Claim:
A washing machine comprising a concentric rotation tub that houses at least one object being cleansed using a working fluid, said tub mechanically coupled to a motor and topped by a balance ring, said balance ring comprising: a base; a casing coupled to the base to define a chamber; a series of curved blades in the chamber; a vertical clearance between the blades and an inner wall of the chamber, the vertical clearance arranged to allow a flow of the working liquid to have a vertical component; a series of raised blades; and a series of lowered blades that alternate with the raised blades, wherein the curved blades have an angularly-extending surface which defines an angular trajectory within the chamber, the angular trajectory arranged to extend outside a radial trajectory, said angularly-extending surface configured to reduce a period of time needed for particles of working liquid to be displaced from a resting point to the inner wall of the chamber as the ring rotates.