U.S. patent application number 09/272824 was filed with the patent office on 2002-06-06 for support system for vessels such as swimming pools.
Invention is credited to MARBACH, GERARD, YURCHISION, PETER P..
Application Number | 20020066138 09/272824 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25328785 |
Filed Date | 2002-06-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020066138 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
YURCHISION, PETER P. ; et
al. |
June 6, 2002 |
SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR VESSELS SUCH AS SWIMMING POOLS
Abstract
Support systems for vessels such as above-ground swimming pools
are disclosed. Each system may include one or more buttresses
adapted to support substantially the entire vertical height of the
side wall or each of a series of side walls of the pool. The
buttresses, which flare along their lengths, closely match the
support they provide each side wall to the outward water pressure
present-along its height for enhanced reliability. The diminished
space required for installation of the disclosed buttresses reduces
the surface area required for their associated pool.
Inventors: |
YURCHISION, PETER P.;
(SHAVERTOWN, PA) ; MARBACH, GERARD; (CERNAY,
FR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
JOHN S. PRATT, ESQ
KILPATRICK STOCKTON, LLP
1100 PEACHTREE STREET
SUITE 2800
ATLANTA
GA
30309
US
|
Family ID: |
25328785 |
Appl. No.: |
09/272824 |
Filed: |
March 19, 1999 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
09272824 |
Mar 19, 1999 |
|
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08858637 |
May 19, 1997 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
4/506 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04H 4/0043
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
4/506 |
International
Class: |
E04H 004/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A system for maintaining in position a wall of an above-ground
swimming pool designed to contain water, comprising means, adapted
to contact the wall substantially continuously along its height,
for supporting the wall against the pressure of water contained
within the pool.
2. A system according to claim 1 in which the supporting means
comprises a buttress having a top, a bottom, and a depth which
increases substantially continuously from top to bottom.
3. A system according to claim 2 in which the buttress (i) is of
height at least approximately equal to the height of the wall and
which, (ii) in use, protrudes only minimally from the wall.
4. A system according to claim 3 in which the buttress comprises:
a. a face; b. a plurality of sides, each connected to the face; and
c. at least one surface connected to one of the sides and for
contacting the wall.
5. A system according to claim 4 in which the face, plurality of
sides and surface of the buttress are integrally formed in a
unitary structure.
6. A system according to claim 5 in which the pool comprises a rim
into which the wall is fitted in use and the surface of the
buttress includes means, adapted to receive the rim, for
maintaining the position of the rim in use.
7. A system according to claim 6 in which the maintaining means
comprises a notch in the buttress into which the rim is fitted in
use.
8. A system according to claim 7 in which the rim contains at least
one slot, further comprising a cross-member having an upper surface
from which a tab protrudes, the tab in use being received by the
slot.
9. A system according to claim 8 in which, in use, the cross-member
is at least partially buried in the ground and connected to the
buttress.
10. A system for maintaining in position a wall of an above-ground
swimming pool designed to contain comprising a buttress having a
vertical cross-section generally in the form of a solid triangle
and a surface that, in use, contacts the wall so as to support the
wall against the outward pressure of water contained within the
pool.
11. A system according to claim 10 in which the buttress (i) is of
height at least approximately equal to the height of the wall and
which, (ii) in use, protrudes only minimally from the wall.
12. A system according to claim 11 in which the buttress further
comprises: a. a face; and b. a plurality of sides, each connected
to the face; and in which the surface that contacts the wall in use
is connected to one of the sides.
13. A system according to claim 12 in which the face, plurality of
sides and surface of the buttress are integrally formed in a
unitary structure.
14. A system according to claim 13 in which the pool comprises a
rim into which the wall is fitted in use and the surface of the
buttress includes means, adapted to receive the rim, for
maintaining the position of the rim in use.
15. A system according to claim 14 in which the maintaining means
comprises a notch in the buttress into which the rim is fitted in
use.
16. A system according to claim 15 in which the rim contains at
least one slot, further comprising a cross-member having an upper
surface from which a tab protrudes, the tab in use being received
by the slot.
17. A system according to claim 16 in which, in use, the
cross-member is at least partially buried in the ground and
connected to the buttress.
18. An above-ground swimming pool designed to contain water and
comprising: a. a plurality of cross-members, each at least
partially buried in the ground and having an upper surface from
which at least one tab protrudes above ground; b. a rim formed at
least in part by a plurality of segments, each segment having a
slot adapted to receive a tab of a cross-member; c. at least one
side wall having a height and fitted into the rim so as to extend
substantially vertically above the ground; and d. a plurality of
buttresses, each having a top, a bottom, and a height approximating
the height of the at least one side wall and comprising: i. a
surface spanning the height of the buttress and contacting at least
one side wall to support the side wall against the outward pressure
of water contained within the pool; ii. at least one side connected
to the surface and increasing in size from the top of the buttress
to the bottom of the buttress; and iii. means for receiving at
least one segment of the rim.
19. A swimming pool according to claim 18 in which the receiving
means comprises a notch adjacent the bottom of the buttress.
20. A system according to claim 1 in which the supporting means
contains a first aperture, further comprising: a. a cross-member
having a generally horizontal surface containing a second aperture;
and b. means, received by the first and second apertures, for
connecting the supporting means to the cross-member underground in
use.
21. A system according to claim 2 in which the supporting means
comprises a buttress having a top, a bottom, and a depth which
increases substantially continuously from top to bottom.
22. A system according to claim 1 in which the supporting means
comprises at least one tab, further comprising a cross-member
having means for receiving the tab underground to secure the
position of the supporting means relative to the cross-member in
use.
23. A system according to claim 2 in which the supporting means
comprises a buttress having a top, a bottom, and a depth which
increases substantially continuously from top to bottom.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to vessels such as swimming pools and
more particularly to support systems having buttresses for walls of
above-ground swimming pools.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The popularity of swimming pools, particularly in
residential areas, continues to increase. This increased popularity
is based at least in part on the availability of aesthetically
appealing above-ground pools, whose durability permits
cost-effective purchasing by consumers. Above-ground pools
additionally are particularly useful in areas where substantial
excavation is either impermissible or undesirable. In
densely-populated regions, for example, residential lawns may not
be sufficiently large to accommodate the space required for
in-ground pools. Moreover, in some cases they may be inadequate to
accommodate the equipment necessary to excavate in-ground pools,
even if space for such pools exists. Alternatively, above-ground
pools may be preferable because of the decreased time typically
needed for installation (and, if necessary, removal) or the lesser
maintenance requirements and costs often associated with them.
[0003] Many substantially-permanent above-ground pools are
generally either circular or oval in shape, with each type
comprising multiple vertical walls and a frame. Because of their
strength, galvanized steel or other compositions are usually chosen
as materials from which the walls are made. Nonetheless, water
pressure present at and near the bottoms of filled pools often
requires the walls of above-ground pools to be braced for reliable
performance. This bracing requirement is particularly pertinent in
connection with oval pools, whose elongated side walls are
especially vulnerable to collapse from the outward pressure exerted
by the water contained therein.
[0004] As a consequence of this vulnerability, existing oval
above-ground pools are constructed with braces supporting the lower
sections of their side walls. Each brace includes three pieces,
denominated an "upright" portion, an "angled" portion, and a
"connecting" portion. FIG. 1 illustrates such braces 10 of
above-ground pool 14, whose generally oval shape requires use of
multiple vertical side walls 18. As shown in FIG. 1, upright
portion 22 extends upward from bottom 26 of side wall 18, with
connecting portion 28 being either at ground level or buried
underground. An end of each of upright portion 22 and angled
portion 30 connects to a respective end of connecting portion 28,
while the other end 34 of angled portion 30 attaches to upright
portion 22. The resulting structure resembles the outline of a
right triangle, with angled portion 30 constituting the
hypotenuse.
[0005] FIG. 1 details the protruding nature of braces 10. Such
braces 10 frequently extend outward several feet from side walls 18
on both sides of pool 14, increasing the surface area of the lawn
required for installing the pool. This increased surface area can
cause difficulties in installing pools in areas subject to
covenants or zoning regulations, as insufficient land may remain
post-installation to meet setback and other legal or contractual
requirements. Braces 10 may also inhibit lawn maintenance adjacent
pool 14 and, to some, may detract from the aesthetic appeal of the
pool itself. The three-piece structure of each brace 10
additionally increases its associated manufacturing and installing
cost, while supporting less than the entire vertical height of a
side wall 18.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention, by contrast, provides a support
system intended to resolve these issues. Particularly suited for
vessels such as elongated above-ground pools, the support system
includes a set of, typically, one-piece buttresses adapted to
support the entire vertical height of one or each of a series of
side walls. The flared design of the buttress, furthermore, matches
the support it provides the side wall to the outward water pressure
present along its height for enhanced reliability, permitting use
of fewer buttresses than the number of existing braces that would
otherwise be necessary. The one-piece design of the buttress
further eliminates some of the manufacturing and installation costs
associated with existing braces, while its sleek appearance is more
likely to please discerning observers.
[0007] The diminished footprint of the innovative buttress
additionally reduces the surface area required for its
corresponding pool. Setback and similar requirements thus pose
fewer problems than with existing pools, permitting pools
incorporating the present invention to be located in smaller
(especially narrower) lawns. Consequently, more residential
customers in densely-populated areas are able to situate these
pools in the lawn space available to them, increasing the market
for the pools beyond that existing today. Abolishing the open areas
between the angled portions of current braces and the ground
additionally avoids many of the difficulties associated with
providing lawn care in those areas.
[0008] In some embodiments of the invention, each buttress is a
unitary structure whose height approximates that of the side wall
or walls of its associated pool. At least one surface of the
buttress contacts the side wall along substantially its entire
height, supporting the height of the wall continuously against the
outward pressure exerted when the pool is filled with water.
Because the buttress defined by these embodiments flares along its
height it assumes, in side elevational view, the general form of a
truncated, solid triangle. Embodiments of the buttress further
comprise notched sections to retain the bottom rim of the pool--and
therefore help retain the side walls--in place.
[0009] Additionally included in some support systems of the present
invention may be elongated cross-members spanning the width of the
pool. Often called "omegas"because of their cross-sectional
appearance, the cross-members, when present, are buried so that
only their upper surfaces are above the ground. Buttresses on each
side of the pool may be bolted or otherwise attached to the upper
surfaces to retain them in position relative to the ground.
Protruding from the upper surface of a cross-member adjacent its
ends are one or more tabs, which in use fit into slots in the
bottom rim of the pool to maintain its position. The buttresses,
side walls, bottom rim, and cross-members thus can interact to
preserve the position and structure of the pool relative to the
ground. Alternatively, the buttresses may extend below ground level
and be bolted, interlocked, or otherwise connected or fitted to the
cross-members.
[0010] It is therefore an object of the present invention to
provide a system for supporting a vessel designed to be filled with
water or similar fluid.
[0011] It is also an object of the present invention to provide a
system including one or more buttresses for supporting the side
wall or walls of an above-ground swimming pool.
[0012] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a
system in which a buttress supports a wall of a pool substantially
continuously along the height of the wall.
[0013] It is another object of the present invention to provide a
system for supporting pool walls in which the supporting structures
extend only minimally beyond the exteriors of the walls.
[0014] It is an additional object of the present invention to
provide a system, including one or more buttresses, for supporting
a vessel such as an above-ground pool, in which the buttresses
comprise notched sections to retain the bottom rim of the pool in
position.
[0015] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide
a system for supporting an above-ground swimming pool in which
buttresses, side walls, the bottom rim, and cross-members interact
to maintain the position and structure of the pool relative to the
ground.
[0016] Other objects, features, and advantages of the present
invention will be apparent with reference to the drawings and
remainder of the text of this application.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an oval pool having an
existing set of braces.
[0018] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an oval pool utilizing a
support system of the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of a portion of the pool
and of a buttress of the support system of FIG. 2.
[0020] FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the buttress of FIG. 3.
[0021] FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the buttress of FIG. 3
together with a surface of a cross-member of the support system of
the present invention.
[0022] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of the
cross-member of FIG. 5.
[0023] FIG. 7 is a (nominally) front elevational view of the
buttress of FIG. 3 together with portions of the cross-member of
FIG. 5 and the bottom rim of the pool of FIG. 2.
[0024] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an alternative buttress of
the present invention.
[0025] FIGS. 9A-C are (nominally) front elevational views of yet
alternative buttresses and cross-members for use as support systems
of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] FIGS. 2-5 and 7 illustrate buttresses 38 of the present
invention. As shown in FIG. 2, buttresses 38 may be used in
connection with pool 14' instead of braces 10. Doing so can
diminish significantly the surface area required for installation
of pool 14', permitting pool 14' to be positioned in areas
inadequate for placement of pool 14. As noted earlier, setback and
similar requirements additionally pose fewer problems for pool 14'
because of its smaller overall size.
[0027] FIGS. 2 and 3 detail typical locations of buttresses 38 in
connection with pool 14'. Illustrated in FIG. 2 is a set of
buttresses 38 spaced along side 42 of (generally) oval pool 14'.
Although not shown in FIG. 2, a similar set of buttresses 38 may be
spaced along opposite side 46 of pool 14 '. Because pool 14' is
oval, sides 42 and 46 are elongated relative to ends 50 and 54 and
subject to greater stresses caused by the pressure of water W
within the pool 14'.
[0028] This pressure within pool 14' additionally is greatest at
bottom 26 of side wall 18 (adjacent ground G) and decreases toward
the corresponding top 58 of the wall 18. To support the entirety of
height H of side wall 18, the above-ground height of buttresses 38
may be substantially similar or identical to height H and, as shown
in FIG. 3, most or all of their surfaces 62A and 62B (see FIGS. 4
and 7) may contact the side wall 18. To match more closely the
support provided side wall 18 to the pressure of water W as a
function of height H, buttresses 38 additionally may be flared in
depth as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. Such flaring results in
buttress 38 having its minimum depth D.sub.1 at its top 66 and its
maximum depth D.sub.2 at its bottom 70 (also adjacent ground G),
with the depth increasing substantially continuously between top 66
and bottom 70. Buttress 38 thus resembles, in the side elevational
view shown in FIG. 3, a right triangle.
[0029] Unlike brace 10, however, buttress 38 of FIG. 3 has solid
sides 74A and 74B, a solid face 78, and is truncated at top 66.
Surfaces 62A and 62B, moreover, function as flanges of buttress 38.
The result is a unitary structure for buttress 38 that both
provides greater and more uniform and continuous support for side
wall 18 and has a sleeker profile than braces 10. Furthermore, for
some embodiments of buttress 38, maximum depth D.sub.2 does not
exceed ten inches, an amount significantly less than the distance
(typically thirty-six inches) from pool 14 that braces 10 protrude.
Other dimensions of an exemplary buttress 38 include height between
approximately forty-two and sixty inches, width of approximately
four inches, and a minimum depth D.sub.1 of approximately two to
four inches. Buttress 38 is usually made of metal such as
galvanized steel but may be manufactured of other materials when
necessary or appropriate. The face 78, sides 74A and 74B, and
surfaces 62A and 62B of buttress 38 additionally need not be
integrally formed, although so forming them may avoid reducing the
strength of the overall structure. Surfaces 62A and 62B also need
not necessarily be formed at substantially right angles to
respective sides 74A and 74B as shown in FIG. 4.
[0030] FIG. 5 illustrates notched section 82 of buttress 38. In
use, buttress 38 may be connected (by bolts or other suitable
means) to a cross-member 86 spanning the width of pool 14'. Such a
cross-member 86 is shown in FIG. 6 and is buried in ground G so
that only upper surface 90 is visible, and it is to this surface 90
that buttress 38 connects. Attaching buttress 38 to cross-member 86
in this manner thus retains the buttress 38 in position relative to
ground G. Once buttress 38 is positioned, rim 94 (see FIG. 7) may
be fitted into section 82 to assist in fixing its placement
relative to the ground G. Slots of rim 94 additionally may receive
tabs 98 protruding from upper surface 90 of cross-member 86 to
complete its positioning. Side wall 18 may then be fitted into rim
94 in conventional fashion to retain it in place. Those skilled in
the art will thus recognize that buttresses 38, side wall 18, rim
94, and cross-members 86 of the present invention may be designed
if desired to interact appropriately to preserve the position and
structure of pool 14' relative to the ground G.
[0031] Shown in FIG. 8 is an alternative buttress 38'. Unlike
corresponding components of buttress 38, face 78' of buttress 38'
is curved, and surfaces 62A' and 62B' are formed at acute angles to
respective sides 74A' and 74B'. Buttress 38' additionally extends
beyond notched section 82' to terminate at lower edge 102, which in
use is buried underground.
[0032] FIGS. 9A-C detail alternate cross-members 106A-C. Like upper
surface 90 of cross-member 86, upper surfaces 110 of cross-members
106A-C are at or near the level of ground G. Similar to buttress
38', furthermore, buttresses 114A-C extend so that lower edges
118A-C are buried underground. In the buttress 114A of FIG. 9A,
lower edges 118A are bent to form flanges 122, which include
apertures in which bolts 126 or other fasteners may be placed.
Horizontal sections 130 additionally include apertures for
receiving bolts 126, thereby permitting buttress 114A to be
fastened to cross-member 106A. By connecting buttress 114A to
horizontal sections 130 rather than vertical sections 134 of
cross-member 106A, bolts 126 are subjected to reduced shear
stresses optionally excavating ground G to pour a concrete or other
base C beneath horizontal section 130 may enhance the ability of
buttress 114A to support a pool.
[0033] Cross-members 106B and 106C instead may include slots 138 or
recessed segments 142 for receiving pins or tabs 146 of buttresses
114B or 114C. Such slots 138 or recesses formed by segments 142
effectively retain buttresses 114B or 114C in position relative to
respective cross-members 106B or 106C by engaging, or interlocking
with, tabs 146 below ground G. Although lower edge 118B is flanged
and lower edge 118C is not, such edges 118B-C may be interchanged
as necessary or desired. In any case, the result is a relatively
secure positioning of a buttress 38', 114A, 114B, or 114C vis-a-vis
a cross-member 106A, 106B, or 106C by connecting them
underground.
[0034] The foregoing is provided for purposes of illustrating,
explaining, and describing embodiments of the present invention.
Modifications and adaptations to these embodiments will be apparent
to those skilled in the art and may be made without departing from
the scope or spirit of the invention.
* * * * *