U.S. patent number 3,673,751 [Application Number 05/056,802] was granted by the patent office on 1972-07-04 for building and swimming pool construction.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Champion Incorporated. Invention is credited to Emil J. Boassy, Vincent Shanni.
United States Patent |
3,673,751 |
Boassy , et al. |
July 4, 1972 |
BUILDING AND SWIMMING POOL CONSTRUCTION
Abstract
The specification describes a building panel with a snap
engaging fitting for simplified interlocking of multiple panels to
form building structures. The panels are especially suitable for
swimming pool construction with a convenient crib-type arrangement
that can be easily and quickly assembled.
Inventors: |
Boassy; Emil J. (Berkeley
Heights, NJ), Shanni; Vincent (Scotch Plains, NJ) |
Assignee: |
Champion Incorporated (Scotch
Plains, NJ)
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Family
ID: |
22006649 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/056,802 |
Filed: |
July 21, 1970 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
52/169.7;
52/783.11; 52/741.12 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04H
4/0012 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
E04H
4/00 (20060101); E04h 003/16 () |
Field of
Search: |
;52/495,169,627,630,618,588 ;4/172.19 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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|
|
|
|
|
|
656,748 |
|
Mar 1965 |
|
BE |
|
1,388,087 |
|
May 1965 |
|
FR |
|
Primary Examiner: Sutherland; Henry C.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A swimming pool comprising a ground excavation, a hanging grid
assembly disposed around the upper periphery of the excavation,
said hanging grid including means for attaching a pool liner to
said hanging grid, a flexible watertight pool liner attached to
said hanging grid so as to cover the interior surface of the
excavation, the hanging grid further including a pair of arms
depending downwardly into the excavation, the arms terminating in
lip portions each extending horizontally towards the other arm to
form a female fitting extending around the upper periphery of the
excavation, a plurality of wall construction panels each having a
male fitting along the upper and lower edge thereof, the male
fitting on the upper edge engaging the female fitting of the
hanging grid to form side and end walls, the male fittings having
retaining ridges extending along the upper and lower edge of the
panel for engaging the lip portions of the hanging grid, at least a
portion of the panel being compliable so that the upper and lower
ridges can be squeezed together while engaging the hanging grid, a
floor beam extending around the lower periphery of the
excavation,said floor beam comprising, along two opposite sides of
the lower periphery, a plurality of wall-to-floor joining members,
each joining member having two female fittings disposed at a right
angle, the fittings each having two parallel arms terminating with
lip portions facing approximately together for engaging the
retaining ridges of a male fitting with one of said female fittings
engaging the male fitting of a wall construction panel, a plurality
of floor construction panels each having male fittings similar to
the wall construction panels joined together with female joining
strips to form a pool floor assembly, the pool floor assembly
having, along two opposite sides thereof, male fittings engaging a
female fitting of the wall-to-floor joining member.
2. A swimming pool comprising a ground excavation, a hanging grid
assembly disposed around the upper periphery of the excavation,
said hanging grid including means for attaching a pool liner to
said hanging grid, a flexible, watertight pool liner attached to
said hanging grid so as to cover the interior surface of the
excavation, and a crib-type, water-permeable interior pool shell
attached to said hanging grid and extending into the covered
excavation, said interior pool shell comprising a plurality of side
wall and end wall construction panels depending from the hanging
grid and interlocked with snap fittings to form pool side and end
walls, and a plurality of floor construction panels interlocked
with snap fittings to form a pool floor, the pool floor being
attached to the side wall and end wall panels.
3. The swimming pool of claim 2 further including a floor retaining
beam attached to the panels along two opposite walls of the pool
and comprising an L shaped member, one leg of said L interlocked
with the wall panels and the other leg of the L supporting the
floor construction panels.
4. The swimming pool of claim 2 further including snap fittings on
the hanging grid for attaching a pool coping to the hanging grid by
interlocking with the snap fittings.
5. A construction panel comprising a top sheet, a bottom sheet
substantially coextensive with the top sheet and spaced therefrom,
a filler body filling the space between said sheets to which each
sheet is affixed, a peripheral region of said top sheet extending
beyond the filler body, said region being resilient and having an
edge portion folded toward the bottom sheet and a re-entrant
channel formed parallel and adjacent to said folded edge portion,
the said region having an approximately S-shaped transverse
cross-section, a peripheral region of said bottom sheet coextensive
with said peripheral region of the top sheet, said region of said
bottom sheet being resilient and having an edge portion folded
toward the top sheet and being contiguous to the inside of the
folded edge portion of said top sheet, the edge of said edge
portion being spaced from the top sheet so as to allow movement of
the top peripheral region with respect to the bottom peripheral
region, and a V-shaped channel adjacent to and extending parallel
to the folded edge portion, said channel having a notch at the base
of the V on the side thereof remote from the edge.
6. The panel of claim 3 in which the top and bottom sheets comprise
polyvinylchloride.
7. The panel of claim 3 in which the filler body is a corrugated
plastic material and the top and bottom sheets are bonded thereto.
Description
This invention relates to construction panels for fabricating
building units. More specifically it concerns swimming pool
structures made with these units.
Recent interest in modular building has created a demand for new
building panels. Panels which interlock with one another or with a
simple frame are especially attractive.
This invention is directed in its broader aspects to such a panel.
Installation of several panels to form a wall or other building
unit can be accomplished with a minimum of effort and expense.
The use of these construction panels in building swimming pools is
especially attractive. The inventive designs which incorporate
these panels allow a nonskilled worker to complete essentially an
entire pool construction in a surprisingly brief period.
This approach to swimming pool construction is essentially new.
Current manufacturing methods favor unitary structures such as
poured concrete or, in less expensive construction, simply a
plastic liner set in a carefully sculptured sand excavation.
The construction panel of the invention is a dual thickness or
rigid or semirigid sheet material, suitable for building walls,
with a structural separator in between. A filler in combination
with the separator for increased strength or rigidity or for
thermal or acoustic insulation is optional. The inventive feature
of the panel is a snap fitting made integral with the rest of the
panel and extending along at least one edge thereof. The fitting
comprises the edge portions of the sheets which are folded toward
each other so as to essentially overlap. A channel is formed along
the edge of each sheet, and each channel is adapted to engage a
retaining ridge in the female member. At least one of the said edge
portions is resilient so as to allow the channels to squeeze
together with pressure appropriately applied. The interlocking
parts may include sloped regions on the engaging surfaces to
facilitate snap fitting of the parts together.
The swimming pool according to the invention is made with a crib
structure. A frame including female fitting members is provided and
the panels are laid into the frame as slats in a crib. The panels
either interlock with one another or, preferably, are fitted into
frame members provided between each panel. In many cases it will be
convenient to employ panels having lengths less than the overall
pool dimension in which case two or more panels can be laid end to
end and fitted only along the sides of the panels. The ends of the
panels engaging the crib frame can simply rest in the frame or can
interlock in some fashion with the frame. The sidewalls of the pool
are constructed in a like manner by simply snapping together a
series of panels. The corner fittings are somewhat more complex as
will become evident later.
The panel structure is fabricated in a plastic-lined excavation,
the latter serving simply to retain water. This feature is
especially important. The excavation requires a minimum of
preparation since the liner need not be smooth. This means that a
relatively thick plastic liner can be used without the common
problem of avoiding wrinkles in the liner. It also means that
puncture or tearing of the liner due to its thinness or to pool
traffic is avoided. It is significant to note that the liner in
this structure is not exposed to UV solar radiation. The panel
assembly is inherently porous so that it remains submerged within
the lined excavation. It is preferably supported from a frame on
the ground at the upper periphery of the excavation. However, since
the panels are typically relatively rigid, the weight of traffic on
the pool bottom will be distributed and the use of the earth at the
bottom of the excavation for support in whole or part will not
ordinarily be objectionable.
These and other aspects of the invention will become apparent from
the following detailed description.
In the drawing:
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an exemplary construction panel
according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a swimming pool fabricated with
construction panels similar to that of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view through the end wall of the pool;
and
FIG. 4 is a sectional view through the sidewall of the pool.
A building panel according to the invention is shown in FIG. 1. It
comprises a top sheet 10 which is ordinarily square or rectangular
in dimension and terminates at both edges in a re-entrant channel
11 and a folded edge portion 12. This leaves an interior channel
portion 13. The bottom sheet 16 is provided in this particular
structure with large ridges or corrugations 17 for imparting
longitudinal strength. The remaining portion of the bottom sheet is
glued or otherwise affixed to the filler 18. The top sheet is
likewise fastened to the filler 18. The filler can comprise a
series of rib members spaced apart or could be any of a number of
structural members of a variety of materials simply serving to
support the top and bottom sheets in a spaced relationship. Foamed
plastics such as polyurethane can be used in combination with rigid
plastic, wood or metal supports.
The top sheet is shown flat for normal wall facings. However,
corrugations, embossings and other designs may be used for
decorative and even functional purposes.
The bottom sheet 16 terminates at each edge with a V-shaped channel
19, a resulting V-channel 20 and a folded edge 21, the latter
largely co-extensive with the edge 12 of the top sheet. The
terminal rim 22 on this folded edge is optional in this design and
simply serves as a bearing when the edge is urged against the top
sheet in interior channel 13. Provided at the base of the V-channel
19 on the side thereof remote from the edge is a notch 23. This
notch serves to engage the female fitting as will be described.
This panel member is adapted to be used with joining strips, one of
which is shown at 30 engaging the right side of the panel. This
fitting resembles an I-bar with one channel-forming member 31
somewhat longer than the other channel forming member 32, although
this feature is not per se essential. The edge fitting of the panel
is adapted to engage within the channel 33 formed by arms 31 and 32
and main beam member 34. The arm 31 terminates with lip 35 which
engages the notch 23 of the male fitting. Arm 32 terminates with
lip 36 which engages the re-entrant channel 11 of the panel. The
I-bar 30 is preferably rigid.
It can be inferred from this drawing that the combination of the
male fitting of the panel and the I-bar joining strip comprise an
interlocking assembly that can be joined simply by snapping the
members together, it being remembered that the edge portions of the
panel are sufficiently resilient to allow the channels 11 and 20 to
close together. The normal channel separation is such as to tightly
engage the arms 31 and 32. The biased surfaces 37 and 38 in this
particular design ease the joining operation. The additional length
of arm 31 as compared with the length of arm 32 also contributes to
this result. This panel is most effectively joined by tilting the
top panel (or the joining strip) and engaging lip 36 and channel 11
first. Then by urging the members into horizontal alignment, the
interlock is effected. The actual operation is accomplished with
remarkable ease and the interlocking joint is very effective.
It will be evident that the V-groove 20 formed due to the presence
of the adjacent corrugation is not vital to the structure. It is
necessary only that a ridge extend along the edge of the panel
beyond the normal panel thickness.
The panel shown in FIG. 1 is provided with two male edge fittings
to be used preferably with joining strips. However, one edge of the
panel can be provided with a female fitting resembling the I-bar 30
so that multiple panels can be assembled together directly. Further
along these lines the I-bar joining strip can be permanently
affixed to one edge of the panel during manufacture. One edge
fitting can thus be eliminated during assembly.
In an exemplary embodiment the panel of FIG. 1 was constructed with
40 mil sheets, a sheet separation of approximately 1 inch and an
overall thickness of 3 inches. The overall panel size was
approximately 4 .times. 8 feet when joined. The corrugations 17
were on 3 inch centers. The filler 18 was a continuous cross member
with 1-1/2 inch corrugations made normal to the corrugations 17.
All material was polystyrene or ABS. The edge fittings comprised a
1/2 inch deep by 1/4 inch channel in the top sheet with a 1 inch
folded edge. The channel 13 was 3/8" deep by approximately 7/16
inch. The bottom sheet edge comprised in sequence a 1/4 inch rim, a
folded edge approximately three-fourths inch, a 45.degree. bend
extending approximately 1 inch, a 1/4 inch notch, and an overall
width of approximately 1-1/3 inch.
The joining strip 30 has an overall height of 2 inches, a width for
arm 31 of 3 inches, a width for arm 32 of 1-3/4 inch, a gauge
generally of one-eighth inch with 3/16 inch rims on arm 32, and
5/16 inch rims on arm 31. The dimensions of this element were
controlled very conveniently as the strips were extruded PVC.
A swimming pool fabricated with construction panels of the type
just described is shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4. FIG. 2 is a
perspective view of a pool showing the basic employment of the
construction panels of FIG. 1 in a crib-type structure.
At the top periphery of the pool is a decorative coping 40 made in
sections of a convenient length, e.g., 8 feet. Corner sections 41
include a 45.degree. end for proper fitting. The side walls of the
pool 42 comprise construction panels such as those described in
connection with FIG. 1. Again the size of these panels is a matter
of design choice. In the structure shown, the side wall panels are
approximately 4 .times. 4 feet. These panels are supported along
their top edge with a fitting engaging a hanging grid. The hanging
grid appears in subsequent figures. The vertical edges of the
panels simply butt together although a molding strip may be
provided at this joint. The lower edges of the side wall panels are
provided with a floor support bracket which includes a laterally
extending lip similar to a right-angle bar. A portion of this floor
support bracket shows at 43.
The end walls 44 are suspended at their upper edge in the same
manner but engage a different floor support member, part of which
appears at 45.
The floor panels 46 are similar to the side and end wall panels and
in the structure shown are approximately 4 .times. 8' in size. The
long edge of the panels include fittings which engage either the
end wall floor support members 45 by joining strips 47.
The details of the hanging grid and the end wall floor support
member 45 can be seen in FIG. 3 which is a section through the end
wall of FIG. 2. This figure also shows the disposition of the pool
liner. The hanging grid assembly comprises a flat support 50 which
is laid flat over the earth or a prepared foundation and overhangs
the excavation as shown. This support may be wood, aluminum,
plastic or any suitable rigid material. It conveniently comprises a
peripheral walkway for the pool. Attached to the overhanging edge
of the support 50 is a hanging bracket 51. In the structure shown,
this bracket serves four functions. The most important involves the
channel 52 and depending arms 53 and 54. These will be identified
as comprising the female fitting on one half of the joining strip
30 shown in FIG. 1. The side wall and end wall panels engage this
fitting along their upper edge. Shown in FIG. 2 is a portion of an
end wall panel 44.
The hanging bracket includes a U-shaped groove 69 into which the
top of the pool liner 70 is fitted. The pool liner is a water-tight
plastic material similar to conventionally used liners except, as
pointed out previously, it can be of heavier construction. For
example, nylon reinforced vinyl having a thickness of 20 mils is
suitable. It is unlikely that this material will be punctured or
torn during installation or use. Since the liner is not exposed to
the sun's rays, UV degradation will be absent and it will only be
necessary to protect the plastic against thermal oxidation,
although this too will be minimal.
The hanging bracket 51 is also provided with a groove 68 for
suspending an earth retaining member 58. The earth retainer may be
of heavy gauge plastic, treated wood, or rust-resistant metal. It
preferably depends below the midpoint of the depth of the
excavation. In some cases where the sides of the excavation have
exceptional integrity or where auxiliary earth bonding procedures
are employed, the retainer may be unnecessary.
However experience has shown that the typical earth excavation
requires this, or a similar, provision for retaining the earth
walls. It will be appreciated that this pool construction affords
considerable flexibility in this regard since the pool liner 70 is
outside the actual pool surface. Thus the earth retaining members
can assume a variety of forms with no thought to preserving a
smooth surface for liner 70. If necessary the retaining members can
extend to the bottom of the excavation and be supported with stakes
into the bottom or the sides of the excavation.
Finally the hanging bracket 51 includes grooves 59 and 60 for
attaching the pool coping 40 as shown. Any convenient means for
attachment would be appropriate. Note that the coping covers the
upper edge fitting of the panel 44 giving an attractive and
integrated appearance to the assembly.
Affixed to the lower edge fitting of panel 44 is the end wall floor
joining member 45. This joining member is similar to the joining
strip 30 except that the female channel fittings are disposed
normal to one another. Thus arms 71 and 72 will be identified with
arms 31 and 32 in FIG. 1. Likewise the lips 75 and 76 correspond in
design and function to lips 35 and 36 of FIG. 1. A distinguishing
feature is that one of the arms 72 has been omitted. This feature
is helpful since the floor panel 46 cannot be manipulated to engage
both the connecting beam 45 and the joining strip 62 if the latter
is already in place. The connecting beam is designed to permit the
panel to be laid in place onto the lower arm 71 and engaging the
lip 75. This design is recommended for at least one end (or side)
of the pool. It will be evident that the beam at the other end may
have two standard female fittings molded in one piece as long as
construction proceeds from that end. The fitting is completed from
the inside of the pool by snapping the closure strip 77 into place.
The closure strip is a right angle edge molding as shown with an
anchor strip 78 depending along the bisecting plane into engagement
with the end wall-to-floor joining beam 45. The anchor strip
includes a groove 79 which engages a bead 80 provided along the
central region of beam 45. A closure strip retaining member 81
provides a snap action fitting for the anchor strip. Since the
member 45 is preferably formed of plastic or light-weight metal,
the retaining member 81 is partly resilient to allow for the snap
action fitting. The floor panel 46 engages the floor joining beam
45 at lip 55 and lip 82 of the closure strip 77. Along the opposite
side the panel engages the floor panel joining strip 62. A portion
of another floor panel is shown engaging the other fitting of the
joining strip. Panels are joined in this manner until the desired
dimension is reached. In the other dimension the panels simply butt
end-to-end.
The floor-to-side wall joint is shown in detail in FIG. 4. The
lower portion of the sidewall panel is shown at 42. The
sidewall-to-floor connecting beam 43 is affixed to the lower edge
fitting of panel 42. The side walls and end walls may comprise more
than one panel interlocked vertically depending upon the panel
dimensions and the depth of the pool. In this case a joining strip
such as that shown at 30 in FIG. 1 is used to join the panels in
the same way the floor panels are joined.
The sidewall-to-floor connecting beam 43 resembles the end
wall-to-floor beam 45 in the portion engaging the sidewall 42. As
the floor panel along this edge does not have an interlocking
fitting, the beam is provided with a laterally extending portion 64
upon which the floor panel rests. A short rounded stub 65 retains
the upper surface of the floor panel 46 and also provides an edge
molding for the wall-to-floor joint. Holes 66 may be provided for
an optional anchoring pin 67. In this view the filler member 18,
appearing also in FIG. 1, is shown in cross-section.
For simplicity, the pool illustrated has a uniform depth. Ways of
modifying the basic structure to provide the conventional deep
portion at one end of the pool are straightforward and hence will
not be detailed. Briefly, one such structure would include floor
panel joining strips such as those shown at 30 in FIG. 1 in which
the two female fittings, rather than being back-to-back in the same
plane, would be molded at an appropriate angle to pitch the bottom
as desired. The lower edge of the side wall panels would be cut
with an appropriate bias and the sidewall-to-floor connecting beam
would be suitably bent or jointed.
The floor of the pool is shown suspended from the side and end
walls but may have additional support from the ground beneath the
floor. This may be especially useful during construction. With the
pool filled, the weight supported by the floor will be
inconsequential.
It is preferable that the panels be completely water permeable. It
is essential to allow for flow of water through the assembled panel
structure.
Various additional modifications and deviations of these basic
structures will occur to those skilled in the art. All such
variations which rely on the teachings through which this invention
has advanced the art are properly considered within the scope of
this invention.
* * * * *