Patent ID: 7793525

Claim:
A washing machine comprising: a basket defining a wash chamber; and a clothes mover mounted in the wash chamber and comprising: a body mounted for reciprocal rotational movement about a generally vertical axis; and at least one vane comprising: a base mounted to the body; and a tail extending from the base, comprising: an upper edge extending from the base and separated from the body; a lower edge extending from the base and separated from the body; a tip extending between the upper and lower edges and defining an outer extent of the tail; and a strengthening region extending generally radially from the body and in a direction from the base toward the tip; wherein in response to the rotation of the body within liquid, a portion of the tail above the strengthening region undergoes compound flexing where the portion of the tail imparts both a radially outward force and a vertical force on the surrounding liquid, the compound flexing being a combination of a side-to-side flexing of the tail enabled by the upper and lower edges being separated from the body and a vertical flexing enabled by the portion of the tail above the strengthening region flexing down and up in an overall vertical movement.