Patent ID: 7406843

Claim:
An automatic clothes washer comprising: a wash tub for holding wash liquid; a wash basket located within the wash tub for holding items to be washed; a wash liquid dispenser for introducing wash liquid into at least one of the wash tub and wash basket; a sump located remotely of the wash tub and comprising a sump housing defining an elongated chamber having a central axis and a sump inlet located at one end fluidly connected to the wash tub such that wash liquid in the wash tub can flow through the inlet into the elongated chamber along a primary flow path and the central axis defines the primary flow path; a recirculation pump having an inlet located along a side of the sump housing fluidly coupled to the elongated chamber, and an outlet fluidly coupled to the wash liquid dispenser for fluidly coupling the sump and the wash liquid dispenser to effect the recirculation of the wash liquid through the wash tub; a drain pump having an inlet located along a side of the sump housing fluidly coupled to the elongated chamber, and an outlet fluidly coupled to a drain to effect the draining of water from the sump; and a separator located within the elongated chamber for removing objects entrained in the wash liquid, the separator having multiple through openings, with each of the through openings defining a through opening flow path, such that wash liquid flowing from the sump inlet to the recirculation pump inlet passes through at least one of the multiple through openings and the primary flow path defines an included angle of less than or equal to ninety degrees with at least one of the through opening flow paths.