Patent ID: 8464561

Claim:
A housing with a front wall and a housing wall opening disposed in the front wall; a suds container disposed in the housing, the suds container having a suds container opening; a drum rotatably mounted in the suds container, the drum having a drum opening with an edge; a bellows seal disposed between the suds container and the housing wall opening; and a laundry deflector disposed in an upper area of the suds container opening, the laundry deflector being directed toward the drum and extending over the drum opening edge so as to form a gap with the drum opening edge, the laundry deflector being configured such that the extent to which it extends and a corresponding dimension of the gap is variable, the variable gap dimension being controllable and adjustable as a function of a speed of the drum; an adjustment mechanism disposed in the suds container, the adjustment mechanism configured to adjust the laundry deflector relative to the drum opening edge; and a drive unit, and wherein the adjustment mechanism includes a plunger with a lower end enclosed in an elastic portion of the laundry deflector and an upper end cooperating with the drive unit.