U.S. patent number 3,794,052 [Application Number 05/218,353] was granted by the patent office on 1974-02-26 for pool-cleaning apparatus.
Invention is credited to John M. Goettl, Robert L. Koble, Jr..
United States Patent |
3,794,052 |
Koble, Jr. , et al. |
February 26, 1974 |
POOL-CLEANING APPARATUS
Abstract
A swimming pool cleaning apparatus comprising a water
distributor having a weight means for holding said water
distributor on the bottom of a swimming pool; a passage means in
said distributor for receiving water under pressure; a plurality of
flexible substantially equally spaced apart pressure operated
sinuously movable tubes communicating with said passage means and
extending generally radially from said distributor and from the
center of said weight means; a water supply tube extending upwardly
generally concentrically above the center of said weight means and
communicating with said passage means; said weight means having
relative buoyant means thereabove; said apparatus usable relative
to a method of the invention for collecting relatively heavy debris
concentrically around said weight means and in close proximity
thereto.
Inventors: |
Koble, Jr.; Robert L. (Phoenix,
AZ), Goettl; John M. (Phoenix, AZ) |
Family
ID: |
22814768 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/218,353 |
Filed: |
January 17, 1972 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
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53468 |
Jul 9, 1970 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
134/167R;
210/167.16; 15/1.7 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04H
4/1681 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
E04H
4/16 (20060101); E04H 4/00 (20060101); B08b
009/08 () |
Field of
Search: |
;15/1.7 ;134/167R,168R
;210/169 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Roberts; Edward L.
Parent Case Text
This patent application is a continuation in part of an application
of Robert L. Koble, Jr., and John M. Goettl for Pool-Cleaning
Apparatus, Ser. No. 53,468, filed July 9, 1970, and now abandoned.
Claims
Having fully described the invention and the presently preferred
embodiments thereof, we claim:
1. A swimming pool cleaning apparatus, comprising: a manually
portable and readily movable weight means adapted to sink in water;
said weight means having horizontally disposed structure, the
maximum dimensions of which equal a small fraction of the length or
breadth of a swimming pool; said weight means being adapted to be
manually moved and temporarily located in various desired positions
relative to the sides and ends of a swimming pool and on the bottom
of said swimming pool; said weight means having supporting surface
means adapted frictionally to engage the bottom of a swimming pool;
said supporting surface means being the only means for holding said
weight means stationarily on the bottom of a swimming pool; a
plurality of elongated flexible jet reactive pool cleaning tubes
coupled to said weight means at an elevation above said supporting
surface so as to dispose a major portion of their length engageable
with the bottom of said pool; said pool cleaning tubes
substantially equally spaced apart and extending generally radially
away from said weight means and having a major portion of said
length thereof disposed for engagement with the bottom of a pool
when said weight means is supported on said bottom of said pool by
said supporting surface means; a flexible water delivery conduit
coupled to said weight means and adapted to contain water under
pressure in communication with said jet reactive pool cleaning
tubes; said jet reactive pool cleaning tubes communicating said
water delivery conduit and adapted to receive water under pressure
therefrom; said jet reactive tubes each having free and open jet
end means substantially spaced from said weight means and adapted
to issue a jet of water therefrom and to thereby cause sinuous
movement of said pool cleaning tubes relative to said weight means
and relative to the bottom and sides of said swimming pool; said
weight means being of sufficient magnitude to hold said supporting
surface means down in frictionally engaged stationary relationship
with the bottom of said pool so that said weight means resists jet
reaction forces imposed by said jet reactive pool cleaning tubes
whereby said weight means remains stationary on the bottom of said
pool while sinuous movement of said jet reactive pool cleaning
tubes continues to operate in a manually preselected area around
said weight means for creating a generally ring-shaped pattern of
dynamic turbulence in the water relative to the center of said
weight means.
2. A swimming pool cleaning apparatus, comprising: a manually
portable and readily movable weight means adapted to sink in water;
said weight means having horizontally disposed structure, the
maximum dimensions of which equal a small fraction of the length or
breadth of a swimming pool; said weight means being adapted to be
manually moved and temporarily located in various desired positions
relative to the sides and ends of a swimming pool and on the bottom
of said swimming pool; said weight means having supporting surface
means adapted frictionally to engage the bottom of a swimming pool;
said supporting surface means being the only means for holding said
weight means stationarily on the bottom of a swimming pool; a
plurality of elongated flexible jet reactive pool cleaning tubes
coupled to said weight means at an elevation above said supporting
surface so as to dispose a major portion of their length engageable
with the bottom of said pool; said pool cleaning tubes
substantially equally spaced apart and extending generally radially
away from said weight means and having a major portion of said
length thereof disposed for engagement with the bottom of a pool
when said weight means is supported on said bottom of said pool by
said supporting surface means; a flexible water delivery conduit
coupled to said weight means and extending upward generally in
alignment with the center of gravity of said weight means when said
weight means is resting on said supporting surface means; said
water delivery conduit adapted to contain water under pressure and
in communication with said jet reactive pool cleaning tubes; said
jet reactive pool cleaning tubes communicating with said water
delivery conduit and adapted to receive water under pressure
therefrom; said jet reaction tubes each having free and open jet
means substantially spaced from said weight means and adapted to
issue a jet of water therefrom to thereby cause sinuous movement of
said pool cleaning tube relative to said weight means and relative
to the bottom and sides of said swimming pool; said weight means
being of sufficient magnitude to hold said supporting surface means
down in frictionally engaged stationary relationship with the
bottom of said pool so that said weight means resists jet reaction
forces imposed by said jet reactive pool cleaning tubes whereby
said weight means remains stationary on the bottom of said pool
while sinuous movement of said jet reactive pool cleaning tubes
continue to operate in a manually preselected area around said
weight means for cleaning the bottom and sides of said pool.
3. The invention as defined in claim 2, wherein: the vertical
extension of said water delivery conduit upwardly and in alignment
with the center of said weight means provides for vertical
suspension of said weight in upright position when lowering the
weight means into the pool by means of said flexible water supply
or water delivery conduit.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various prior art pool cleaning apparatus is exemplified by the
following U.S. Pats:
J. b. vernon -- No. 3,261,371
C. m. blunenfeld -- No. 3,265,079
C. f. spitzer -- No. 3,348,686
A. l. pansini -- No. 3,392,738
H. n. arneson -- No. 3,291,145
E. w. ruston -- No. 3,217,886
The foregoing prior art patents employ various devices for cleaning
pools; however, none of them disclose a simple water distributor
having a concentric assembly of generally radiating sinuously
operated tubes disposed in close proximity to the bottom of the
pool and held frictionally therein by a centrally disposed weight
means.
Accordingly, all the structures disclosed in the foregoing patents
are related generally to pool cleaning apparatus, however, such
prior art apparatus does not comprise concentric radiating sinuous
tubes extending from a central weight means such that heavy foreign
matter may be collected concentrically around the weight means due
to dynamic action and hydraulic turbulence surrounding a central
area so that heavy debris may be collected in said central area, to
facilitate the removal of said heavy material from the pool.
Furthermore, the prior art patents do not disclose a weight means
disposed on the bottom of a pool and readily movable, together with
concentric generally radially disposed sinuous tubes coupled
thereto and substantially equally spaced apart so that various
areas of a pool may be cleaned by generally concentric radiating
sinuous tubes which create a generally circular pattern of dynamic
turbulence in the pool.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention comprises a swimming pool apparatus having a
central weight means adapted movably to be positioned in frictional
engagement on the bottom of a pool and the weight means carries a
water distributor having a plurality of sinuously operated
generally radially disposed flexible tubes equally spaced around
the center of the weight means and a supply conduit communicates
with the sinuous tubes and delivers water thereto under pressure.
The generally concentric arrangement of flexible radiating tubes
provides a generally circular pattern of dynamically turbulent
water in the pool which suspends light foreign matter and causes
movement of the relatively heavy foreign matter to a position
closely surrounding the central weight means so that it may readily
be collected in a small area upon movement of the central weight
means as desired. The water delivery conduit extending to the
weight means and communicating with the sinuous tubes extends
generally upward from the center of the weight means to provide a
direct suspension device convenient for lowering the weight means
into the pool in an upright manner so as to permit placement of the
weight means and the sinuous tubes in a pool in a desired location.
The weight means may then slidably be moved on the bottom of the
pool to various locations as desired and many conveniently be moved
by sliding the weight means together with the sinuous tubes by
pushing it or pulling it with a conventional long handled pool
brush or the like.
The invention also relates to a novel method wherein a plurality of
flexible sinuously operable jet tubes extend generally in a radial
direction away from a central weight means and wnerein they are
substantially equally spaced around the weight means so as to
provide for the creation of a generally ring-shaped pattern of
hydraulic turbulence which causes movement on the bottom and sides
of the pool to dynamically suspend foreign matter in the water of
the pool, and also to progressively cause a relatively
non-turbulent area centrally around the weight means so as to force
heavy articles from the relatively turbulent area to the relatively
non-turbulent area and to collect the heavy foreign matter directly
and in close proximity to and surrounding the central weight means
which holds the sinuously operable tubes in various desired
positions on the bottom of the pool. The weight means having
sufficient weight frictionally to maintain the sinuously operable
tubes in opposition to their jet reaction forces so as to hold the
weight means in a stationary location as desired.
The invention also comprehends an elongated hose for use in
connection with the above-described swimming pool cleaning
apparatus and other swimming pool cleaning devices which rely upon
the ejection of water under pressure in the vicinity of the inner
surface of a swimming pool to maintain foreign particulate matter
in suspension for removal by the normal pool-cleaning system. Such
elongated hose is provided with wear-resistor elements located at
spaced points along the hose to substantially prevent abrading
contact between the hose and the inner surface of the swimming pool
by spacing the hose from the inner surface. In a preferred
embodiment, the wear-resistor elements comprise cylindrical members
having greater resistance to abrasion by the inner surface than the
material from which the elongated hose is formed. The wear-resistor
elements are spaced along and engaged with the outer surface of the
cleaning hose to prevent accidental dislocation from their
respective spaced positions by means of internal detent ridges
projecting inwardly from the inner surface of the elements to
deform the hose to conform to detent ridges.
This invention relates to apparatus for cleaning swimming
pools.
More particularly, the invention concerns swimming pool cleaning
apparatus which includes a positionable water supply distributor
from which water is supplied under pressure to one or more cleaning
hoses which undergo sinuous movement in response to water forced
under pressure therethrough, thereby maintaining particulate
foreign matter in the swimming pool in suspension for removal by
the normal pool water filtration system.
In another respect, the invention relates to a pool-cleaning device
which is especially adapted for convenient placement into the pool
during periods of non-use and which may be conveniently
repositioned at various points along the inner surfaces of the pool
and which may yet be quickly and conveniently removed from the pool
during periods of normal use.
In still another aspect, the invention concerns a pool-cleaning
device of the type which maintains foreign particulate matter in
suspension by means of water forced through one or more sinuously
moving hoses, in which the hoses are readily and conveniently
detachable from the pool-cleaning device for storage and/or
replacement.
In yet another aspect, the invention relates to an improved hose
for use in connection with the herein described apparatus or other
pool-cleaning devices which employ cleaning hoses, which improved
hose is especially adapted for convenient attachment and removal
from the pool-cleaning device and which is provided with specially
constructed wear-resistor elements which increase the operating
life of the cleaning hose by preventing abrading contact between
the hose and the inner surface of the pool.
In recent years, many attempts have been made to provide
pool-cleaning devices which function to cause foreign particulate
matter in the swimming pool to be suspended in the pool water for
removal by the conventional pool water filtration system.
The conventional pool water filtration system typically and
normally includes a conduit for removing water from the pool and
conducting the removed water to the suction of a pump. The pump
then forces the removed water under pressure through a filter which
may, for example, be a cloth filter covered with an appropriate
filter-aid material such as diatomaceous earth or, again
illustratively, the filter may be a so-called sand filter which
removes foreign particulate matter by filtration through a bed of
finely divided sand or other insoluble particulate matter. Such
conventional apparatus usually and typically also includes means
for back-flushing the filter system to eject the removed foreign
particulate matter and clean the filtration medium.
According to common prior art practice, it is necessary to
periodically brush the inner surface of the pool to dislodge
foreign particulate matter which has become encrusted upon the pool
inner surfaces, then to wait for a period of time until the
dislodged encrustations again settle upon the pool surfaces and
then to remove such particulate matter by means of a vacuum cleaner
similar to a common household vacuum cleaner except that water is
employed as the suspending medium rather than air.
The prior art devices which attempt to maintain the foreign
particulate matter in suspension by means other than the
conventional brushing technique are, in general, fairly complicated
from a mechanical standpoint and, therefore, subject to frequent
malfunctions. In the case of those prior devices which are more
simply constructed to avoid mechanical malfunctions, it is
generally necessary to install such systems at the time the pool is
constructed or, alternatively, if such prior art systems are
installed in an existing pool structure, they must either be left
in operative position during the use of the pool. However, if they
are to be removed, the task of removing, storing and replacing the
pool-cleaning system is complicated, time-consuming and
burdensome.
Particularly in those instances where pool-cleaning systems
employing scouring or cleaning hoses are installed in existing
pools, it is frequently difficult to attain proper cleaning action
because many such pools are irregularly shaped and require a
plurality of such cleaning units in order to effectively maintain
substantially all of the particulate matter in suspension.
Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to provide a simply
constructed, yet highly efficient pool-cleaning unit which is
conveniently positionable at various points in the swimming pool
such that the cleaning hoses will effectively reach all portions of
the pool even though it may be irregularly shaped.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an
improved pool water-cleaning system.
Another object of the invention is to provide a novel pool-cleaning
apparatus having a central weight means adapted frictionally to
rest on the bottom of a swimming pool together with a plurality of
substantially equally spaced generally radiating flexible sinuously
operable tubes extending therefrom for creating a generally
circular pattern of dynamically turbulent water in the pool, which
tends to force heavy non-suspendable objects into close proximity
with and surrounding the central weight means, in order to afford
convenience in removing these heavy particles from a small area of
the pool.
Another object of the invention is to provide a novel central
weight means having a plurality of generally radially disposed
equally spaced apart sinuously operable tubes and a water supply
conduit communicating therewith; said water supply conduit
extending generally vertically above the center of the weight means
to provide for convenience in suspendingly inserting the weight
means and the sinuous tubes into the pool in an upright position
and to avoid tangling of the sinuous tubes with the water supply
conduit when in operation.
Another object of the invention is to provide a novel method for
cleaning swimming pools comprising the construction and use of a
plurality of radially disposed sinuous tubes for creating a
generally circular ring-shaped pattern of turbulent water in a
swimming pool in order to force heavy foreign matter which is
non-suspendable into an area in close proximity and concentric with
the central weight means which frictionally holds the sinuous tubes
in a fixed location on the bottom of a swimming pool.
Another object of the invention is to provide a pool water-cleaning
system which is of simplified, rugged construction and which may be
easily and conveniently moved from one portion of the pool to
another in order to secure substantially complete cleaning of the
pool with a single unit.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a pool
water-cleaning system which is operated either by the fluid under
pressure provided by the normal pool-cleaning pump, by a
comparatively low-powered electric motor driving an auxiliary pump,
or by any other suitable source of water under pressure such as,
for example, a conventional household water system.
It is still another object of the invention to provide
pool-cleaning hoses for use in connection with the above-described
apparatus or for use in connection with other apparatus which
employ elongated scouring or cleaning hoses, which improved
elongated hoses are provided with specially constructed
wear-resistor elements which substantially prevent abrading contact
between the hose and the inner pool surface, thereby increasing the
operating life of the hose.
In yet another respect, the invention relates to such elongated
hoses which are conveniently and quickly detachable from the
pool-cleaning device such that disassembly, storage and reassembly
of the elements of the pool-cleaning device is facilitated.
These and other, further and more specific objects and advantages
of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art
from the following detailed description thereof taken in
conjunction with the drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a partially sectional perspective view of a swimming pool
containing a cleaning device embodying the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the pool-cleaning device located in
the pool as illustrated in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the device of FIG. 2 taken along
section line 3--3 thereof, in which the means for supplying water
under pressure to the cleaning hoses can be either a water-powered
turbine or an electric motor;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the device of FIG. 2 taken along
section line 4--4 thereof;
FIG. 5 is a sectional view illustrating the method of attachment of
the cleaning hoses taken along section line 5--5 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 6 is a partial sectional perspective view of one of the
cleaning hoses of the device of FIGS. 1-5;
FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the water-discharge orifice of the
hose of FIG. 6 taken along section line 7--7 thereof;
FIG. 8 is a sectional view of another embodiment of the invention
in which water under pressure is supplied to the water supply
chamber by means of a conduit communicating with either the normal
pool water filtration system pump or an auxiliary pump; and
FIG. 9 is a sectional view of yet another embodiment of the
invention in which a small volume of water under high pressure is
injected into the upstream end of a venturi which, in turn,
withdraws water from the pool in the immediate vicinity of the
water supply chamber for supplying sufficient water under pressure
to activate the pool-cleaning hoses such as are exemplified in
FIGS. 1 and 5-7.
The pool-cleaning unit comprehended by the present invention is one
which is of such simple, yet rugged, construction that the owner of
the pool can move it easily from one position within the pool to
another position without substantial danger of damage to the
mechanism and without even the necessity of entering the pool to
change the location of the device.
Furthermore, in accordance with the preferred embodiments of the
invention, the device is operated either by the water discharged
from the pump of a normal pool-filtration system or may be operated
by a low-powered electric motor driving an auxiliary pump, thus
insuring economy of operation as well as simplicity.
Briefly, in accordance with the invention, a water-cleaning system
is provided for use in a swimming pool having an inner surface and
having a pool water-filtration system. The typical pool
water-filtration system includes a water circulation system
consisting of a pump for withdrawing water from the pool and
supplying the withdrawn water under pressure to a filter. The
filter removes suspended particulate matter from the water and
means are provided for returning the filtered water to the pool.
The present invention consists in the combination of a positionable
water supply distributor shaped and adapted to be positioned at
spaced points adjacent the inner surfaces of the swimming pool and
includes a buoyant chamber located in the upper portion of the
water supply distributor and sufficient weight located below the
buoyant chamber such that the weight located below the buoyant
chamber, acting in combination with the buoyant chamber, operates
to automatically position the water supply distributor in operative
upright position adjacent the inner surface of the pool. Means are
provided for supplying water under pressure within the water supply
distributor and at least one elongated hose is provided for
conducting water under pressure from the water supply chamber to
various points spaced in the swimming pool remote from the location
of the water supply chamber. By means of the sinuous movement of
the elongated hose in response to water forced therethrough under
pressure from the water supply distributor, fluid ejected from the
end of the elongated hose causes foreign particulate matter in the
pool water to be and remain in suspension for removal by the normal
pool water-filtration system.
In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the means for
supplying water under pressure to the water supply distributor
includes an electrically driven pump positioned in the lower
portion of the water supply chamber having an inlet for withdrawing
water from the pool in the immediate vicinity of the supply chamber
and pump outlet means for supplying water under pressure to the
elongated hose.
In another embodiment of the invention, water is conducted under
pressure to the water supply chamber by means of a conduit
communicating between the conventional pool water-filtration system
pump and the water supply distributor.
In still another embodiment, a high-pressure, low-volume stream of
water from any suitable source is supplied by means of a conduit to
a vinturi carried in the water supply chamber, the venturi being
provided with a water inlet aperture located at the throat of the
venturi, and means are provided communicating between the water
inlet aperture and the pool water in the immediate vicinity of the
water supply distributor.
In still another respect, the invention comprehends an elongated
hose for use in connection with the above-described apparatus, or
for that matter, any other apparatus employing one or more hoses to
conduct water under pressure to various points in a swimming pool
for the purpose of suspending foreign particulate matter and
retaining such matter in suspension for removal by the normal
pool-cleaning system.
Briefly, according to such further embodiment of the invention, an
elongated hose is provided for conducting water under pressure from
a source of water under pressure to points in a swimming pool
remote from the location of the source of water under pressure.
According to this embodiment, the elongated hose includes one or
more wear-resistor elements located at preselected spaced points
along the hose in such manner as to substantially prevent abrading
contact between the hose and the inner surface of the swimming pool
by spacing the hose from the inner surface. Preferably, the
wear-resistor elements comprise cylindrical members engaged by
means of detent ridges projecting inwardly from the inner surface
of the wear-resistor elements, the detent ridge being shaped to
deform the outer surface of the hose to conform to the detent ridge
to prevent accidental dislocation of the wear-resistor elements
from their preselected spaced points along the hose. For best
results, the wear-resistor elements should be formed of material
having greater resistance to abrasion by the inner surface than the
material from which the elongated hose is formed.
Turning now to the drawings, in which the same reference numerals
identify like elements in the several views, various embodiments of
the invention are depicted for the purpose of illustrating to
persons skilled in the art how to practice the invention and
depicting the preferred embodiments of the invention. FIG. 1
illustrates a swimming pool structure, generally indicated by the
referenced character 10, containing a water-cleaning system
embodying the present invention, including the positionable water
supply distributor 11 resting upon the inner surface 12 of the pool
structure 10, and which generally shows a preferred embodiment
which includes four flexible elongated hoses or jet reactive tubes
13 which conduct water under pressure from the water supply
distributor 11 and, by means of the sinuous movement thereof
induced by the flow of water therethrough under pressure,
substantially continuously eject streams of water from the ends
thereof to maintain foreign particulate matter in suspension. Means
14 are provided which may constitute, as will be explained below,
either a water supply conduit or an electrical power supply cord
connected to the water supply distributor 11 in such a manner as to
enable the entire water supply distributor 11 and associated
flexible jet reactive hoses or tubes 13 to be moved to another
location on the inner surface of the pool, for example, as
generally indicated by the reference character 15, such that the
cleaning hoses will sweep in a sinuous pattern to suspend in the
pool water any foreign particulate matter in that general portion
of the pool structure 10. The bottom of the distributor 11
constitutes a supporting surface means frictionally engageable with
the bottom of a swimming pool, and the weight of the distributor 11
is of sufficient magnitude to resist movement thereof by jet
reaction forces imposed thereon by the hoses or jet reactive tubes
13.
With reference to FIG. 1 of the drawings, it will be seen that the
distributor 11 comprises a central weight means adapted
frictionally to hold apparatus of the invention frictionally
engaged with the bottom of a swimming pool and this weight is
sufficient to resist jet reaction forces of the flexible sinuous
tubes 13 when they are operable with water under pressure therein.
The water supply conduit 14 delivers water under pressure
essentially in communication with the flexible sinuous tubes 13 and
this water supply conduit 12 extends generally vertically upward in
substantially vertical alignment with the center of the weight
means 11. Thus the conduit 12 may be used suspendingly to place the
weight means 11 in upright position in the pool and due to the
vertical disposition of the conduit 14 it does not interfere with
the operation of the sinuous tubes 13, and therefore avoids
tangling of the tubes 13 with the conduit 14 when they are in
operable position.
In accordance with the method of the invention, the sinuous tubes
13 are generally radially extended away from the center of the
weight means 11 and are generally equally spaced therearound so as
to cause dynamic hydraulic turbulence in the pool in a generally
ring-shaped pattern surrounding the center of the weight means 11.
This action causes suspension of the fine material in the water and
this fine material is carried through the conventional swimming
pool filtering system and the force of the dynamic turbulence in a
ring-shaped pattern causes heavy particules of foreign matter to be
forced into an area close to and surrounding the central weight
means 11. Accordingly, heavy matter which cannot be suspended in
the water will be forced into a small area surrounding the weight
means 11 and thereby concentrating the heavy particles in a small
area which may readily and easily be cleaned when the weight means
11 is moved to another area on the bottom of the swimming pool
10.
FIG. 2 illustrates in more detail a perspective view of the water
supply distributor 11 of FIG. 1 which may be provided, as will be
hereinafter explained, with either a water turbine-driven pump or
an electric motor. In either case, the source of motive power is
supplied through the water or electrical conduit 14. In operation,
water is drawn into the water supply distributor 11 through an
annular screen 16 located in the upper portion of the device, which
water is then pressurized and ejected through the cleaning hoses
13. The cleaning hoses are provided at their inner ends with quick
disconnect fittings 17 such that the hoses 13 may be readily
disengaged from the supply distributor 11 by rotational pressure
exerted on the lugs 17a in the direction of the arrows A to
disengage the male portion 22 from the female gland portion 23, the
male portion 22 and female portion 23 constituting, for example, a
familiar quarter-turn disconnect assembly.
The lower portion 11a of the water supply distributor 11 is
provided with a plurality of apertures 18 such that the lower
portion 11a of the distributor 11 will relatively rapidly be filled
with water as the unit is lowered into the pool. However, until the
water turbine pump or electrically driven pump 19 located in the
lower portion 11a of the supply distributor 11 is energized, the
upper portion of the water supply distributor 11, including the
impeller house 20, the discharge plenum 21 and the hoses 13,
remains substantially free of water, forming a buoyant chamber.
It will be observed by those skilled in the art that the weight of
the motor 19, or, alternatively, specially provided weight members
19a, such as, for example, lead shot or cast lead, located
generally below the distributor 11, acting in combination with the
buoyant chamber portion above-described, will result in
automatically positioning the entire unit in the proper operative
upright position upon the inner surface of the pool as the unit is
lowered into the pool. The water supply distributor may optionally
be provided with a handle member 24 in order that the unit can be
positioned manually, but in a preferred mode of operation the
entire unit is merely lowered into the pool by means of the water
delivery or electrical conduit 14 which is connected into the
supply distributor 11 by means of grommets 25 or other connection
of suitable strength such that the entire unit may be initially
positioned in the pool structure 10 and moved from place to place
therein by means of manipulating the water or electrical conduit 14
from ground level alongside the pool structure 10.
In the preferred embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, the water
turbine or electrical motor 19 rotates the impeller 26 of a
centrifugal pump provided with a volute-shaped casing 20 to
discharge water under pressure in the direction of the arrow B into
the hose supply plenum 21 from which the water is discharged
through the hoses 13 to the outer ends 27 thereof which are
preferably provided with a fitting more particularly depicted in
FIG. 7. The fitting of FIG. 7 consists of an annular female member
28 which frictionally engages the outer walls of the hose 13. A
male member 29 provided with threads 30 is inserted into the
interior of the hose member 13 and deforms the walls thereof in the
portion generally indicated by the reference character C to
threadably engage the inside diameter of the hose 13 to force the
outer surface into frictional engagement with the female member 28.
The male member 29 is provided with an orifice 29a of restricted
diameter which results in the water being ejected from the hose 13
at a greater velocity, thereby improving the efficiency with which
the water thus ejected causes foreign particulate matter to be
washed from the sides of the pool structure 10 and maintained in
suspension for removal by the normal pool filtration system.
As shown in FIG. 5, an O-ring seal member 31 is positioned between
the male member 22 and the female member 23 of the quarter-turn
quick-disconnect fitting in order to insure that all water
discharged from the plenum 21 is directed through the hoses 13 and
automatically ejected from the end 27 thereof.
In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, wear-resistor
elements 32 are provided in order to reduce the likelihood of
abrading contact between the hose members 13 and the inner surfaces
of the pool structure 10. In a preferred embodiment, the wear
resistor elements 32 comprise cylindrically shaped members formed
of a material having a greater resistance to abrasion by the inner
surface of the pool structure 10 than the elongated hose. This
allows one to select a hose material having a resiliency and
flexural characteristics which will improve the mobility of the
hoses and the nature of the sinuous movement thereof in response to
the flow of water under pressure therethrough, while simultaneously
improving the operating lift of the hose by means of the
wear-resistor elements 32 which tend to space the hose portion 13
away from, and prevent abrading contact between, the hose and the
inner sides of the pool 10. For example, in a preferred embodiment
of the invention, the hose members 13 are formed of 0.045 inch wall
thickness, 7/16 inch outside diameter polyvinylchloride
plastic.
When the above-described material is used to form the hoses, the
wear-resistor elements are preferably formed of ABS plastic.
FIGS. 8 and 9 represent additional embodiments of the invention in
which the water under pressure is furnished to the plenum 21 by
means other than the water-turbine or electric motor-powered pump
of FIGS. 3 and 4. As shown in FIG. 8, the water may be simply
supplied through the conduit 14 connected to the discharge of a
pump of suitable capacity having an inlet withdrawing water from
the pool or from an auxiliary water source. Water entering through
the conduit 14 into the plenum 21 is then ejected through the hoses
13 and the unit functions in the manner described above in
connection with the description of FIGS. 1-4. Similarly, if it is
desired to employ a source of water at high-pressure, but at
low-volume, the water may be supplied through the conduit 14 into
the upstream end of a venturi 33 provided with a water inlet
aperture 34 located at the throat of the venturi 33. Discharge of
the low-volume, high-pressure water supply through the conduit 14
into the upstream end of the venturi 33 results in water being
sucked into the aperture 34 through the screen 16 from the area
immediately adjacent the pool-cleaning system and water at a lower
pressure but at sufficient volume supplied to the plenum 31 and
thence to the cleaning hoses 13.
The exact source of water under pressure which can be employed in
connection with the embodiments of FIGS. 3, 8 and 9, is not
critical. For example, the conduit 14 can be connected to the
discharge side of the pump of the normal pool water filtration
system, to the discharge of an auxiliary pump which withdraws water
from the pool or other water supply, to an outlet of a normal
household water system or to any other suitable source.
If desired, all of the embodiments of our invention can be operated
on an automatic, timed cycle by the provision of a suitable timing
device already well-known in the art.
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