U.S. patent number 3,674,020 [Application Number 05/141,836] was granted by the patent office on 1972-07-04 for pool hydromassage assembly.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Jacuzzi Research, Inc.. Invention is credited to Roy A. Jacuzzi.
United States Patent |
3,674,020 |
Jacuzzi |
July 4, 1972 |
POOL HYDROMASSAGE ASSEMBLY
Abstract
A hydromassage assembly for placement at pool side, and involves
a housing including a horizontal section for placement on the deck
of the pool and an angularly disposed or substantially vertical
section of a length sufficient that its free end may be submerged
in the water of the pool. A motor driven pump at the free end of
the horizontal section is adapted to hydraulically drive a
plurality of hydro-air jet head assemblies installed in the
submersible end of the angularly disposed section, each of the
hydro-air jet head assemblies being adapted to draw air through an
air intake tube extending through a wall of the housing above the
water level of the pool. The installation of a plurality of
hydro-air jet head assemblies provides for substantially uniform
hydro-air jet activity throughout a wide arc.
Inventors: |
Jacuzzi; Roy A. (Moraga,
CA) |
Assignee: |
Jacuzzi Research, Inc.
(N/A)
|
Family
ID: |
22497479 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/141,836 |
Filed: |
May 10, 1971 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
601/167; 4/559;
4/492 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61H
33/6026 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61H
33/00 (20060101); A61h 009/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;128/66
;4/178,180,172 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Trapp; Lawrence W.
Claims
I claim:
1. A hydromassage assembly for a pool having a substantial vertical
side wall and a deck bordering on said wall, said hydromassage
assembly comprising a housing including a substantially horizontal
section for placement on the deck of such pool, and a joining
section angularly disposed with respect to said substantially
horizontal section and having a wall opening at its free end for
submergence in the water of such pool, said horizontal section
including means for installing a pump in its free end, said
angularly disposed section including means for installing in its
free end, at least one hydro-air jet head assembly, a pump in the
free end of said horizontal section, a hydro-air jet head assembly
installed in the free end of said angularly disposed section and
having a water intake opening and an air intake opening, said
angularly disposed section of said housing being of sufficient
length to enable submergence of said hydro-air jet head assembly
below water when said horizontal section rests on such pool deck, a
pressure line within said housing for connecting the discharge side
of said pump to the water intake opening of said hydro-air jet head
assembly, a suction line within said housing and extending from the
free end of said angularly disposed section and connecting with the
suction side of said pump.
2. A hydromassage assembly in accordance with claim 1 characterized
by an air intake tube couples to said jet assembly at said air
intake opening and extending through a wall of said housing at a
location above water level, when said hydromassage assembly is
installed at such pool.
3. A hydromassage assembly in accordance with claim 1 characterized
by a plurality of hydro-air jet head assemblies installed in the
free end of the angularly disposed section of said housing, said
plurality of jet head assemblies being angularly related to each
other in a substantially common plane.
4. A hydromassage assembly in accordance with claim 3 characterized
by a separate air intake tube for each of said jet head
assemblies.
5. A hydromassage assembly in accordance with claim 1 characterized
by the horizontal section of said housing terminating in an
enlarged free end for installation of said pump and a pump drive
motor.
6. A hydromassage assembly in accordance with claim 5 characterized
by said enlarged free end including a receptacle and a cover
therefor.
7. A hydromassage assembly in accordance with claim 3 characterized
by said plurality of jet head assemblies involving only two, with
the pressure line from said pump being divided at said jet head
assemblies.
8. A hydromassage assembly in accordance with claim 1 characterized
by the intake end of said suction line being in spaced relationship
to said wall opening to reduce suctional drag on an individual to
close vicinity thereto, and a grill spanning said wall opening.
Description
The invention relates to a hydromassage assembly and more
particularly to such an assembly adapted for swimming pool use.
The benefits of hydrotherapeutic treatment for the relief of
fatigue, muscular aches and pains is well known. Of recent times,
attempts have been made to associate hydro-therapeutic treatment
with swimming pools, so that the users of such pools could avail
themselves also of hydrotherapeutic treatment. Such attempts
invariably utilize the plumbing associated with a pool
installation, as part of the hydromassage system and consequently,
such type of installation became an integral part of the pool
system.
Among the objects of the present invention are;
1. To provide a novel and improved hydromassage assembly adapted
for swimming pool use;
2. To provide a novel and improved hydromassage assembly adapted
for use at pool side, and which is entirely independent of the pool
system;
3. To provide a novel and improved hydromassage assembly which is
portable and capable of placement at pool side, and without the
necessity of tying the same in with the existing pool system;
4. To provide a novel and improved hydromassage assembly for
placement at pool side, and which will provide hydromassage
activity over a wide arc;
5. To provide a novel and improved hydromassage assembly adapted
for use at pool side, and which will not expose a user to maximum
suctional effect of the pump forming part of such assembly.
Additional objects of the invention will be brought out in the
following description of a preferred embodiment of the same, taken
in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein,
FIG. 1 is a plan view of the pool hydromassage assembly of the
present invention, in its preferred form, and as used at pool
side;
FIG. 2 is a view in side elevation of the pool hydromassage
assembly illustrated in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a front view of the submersible portion of the assembly
of FIG. 1, with the housing broken away to depict the hydro-air jet
head assemblies and associated piping;
FIG. 4 is a side view of the hydro-air jet head assemblies and
associated piping illustrated in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a plan view of the pump end of the hydro-massage assembly
of FIG. 1, with the cover removed to expose the pump and drive
motor; and
FIG. 6 is a side view of the pump and motor of FIG. 5.
Referring to the drawings for a description in detail of the
invention in its preferred form, the assembly involves a housing 1
including a horizontal section 3 and a section 5 angularly disposed
with respect thereto, preferably in a substantially vertical
position, and of a length such that, with the horizontal section
resting on the deck 7 of a pool, the free end 9 of the vertical
section will normally be submerged below the water level in the
pool.
In such submersible end of the angularly disposed section of the
housing, are installed one or more hydro-air jet head assemblies
11, a pair being adequate for a conventional type pool. The
specific design and construction of each of the jet head assemblies
is incidental to the present invention. Each may include the
features of the various jet head assemblies illustrated and
described in the patent to Candido Jacuzzi, U.S. Pat. No. 3,297,025
of Jan. 10, 1967 for HYDROTHERAPY TUB, or each may embody the
features of jet head assembly forming the subject matter of the
patent to Roy A. Jacuzzi U.S. Pat. No. 3,540,438 of Nov. 17, 1970
for HYDRO-AIR JET HEAD ASSEMBLY. Common to all of these, however,
is the fact that each provides a water intake opening and an air
intake opening.
The jet head assemblies are each supplied with water under pressure
and at high velocity from a pump 17 installed in the free end 19 of
the horizontal section of the housing, and driven by a motor 21,
the pump discharge being connected to the water intake openings of
the jet head assemblies by suitable piping located within the
housing. Where more than one jet assembly is to be thus supplied, a
single discharge line 23 from the pump may be utilized, with branch
pipe connections 25 therefrom to each of the jet head
assemblies.
Except at the location of the pump and motor in the housing, the
housing may be open to the pool deck and pool wall.
The water utilized for hydromassage purpose is derived from the
pool itself, the free or submerged end of the angularly disposed
section of the housing being provided with a wall opening 27,
preferably in the bottom, for free access of the pool water to the
housing. A suction line 29 from the suction side of the pump,
extends within the housing to a point below water level in the
pool. In lieu of terminating in the wall opening 27, the suction
line is terminated at a point which will be below water level, but
yet spaced from such opening, thus to minimize the probable
exposure of an individual to the full suction effect of the pump,
while still making available to the pump, the pool water as a
source of supply. To further protect such an individual, the
opening in the housing may be spanned by a suitable grill.
The air deemed essential for hydromassage purposes, is drawn into
each of the jet head assemblies through a tube 33 connected to the
air intake opening of each such assembly, and emerging through a
wall of the housing, at a point above the water level of the pool,
where it is capped by an adjustable air valve 36 for enabling
adjustment of the air supply to the associated jet head assembly.
Such type of air valve adjustment is well known, and is illustrated
in one form, in the patent to FLOYD M. NASH, U.S. Pat. No.
3,067,435 of Dec. 11, 1962.
The shape and contour of the housing 1 is incidental to the present
invention, though preferably, the horizontal section 3 terminates
at its free end 19 in an enlargement to house the pump and its
associated drive motor, such enlargement involving a receptacle 37
provided with a cover 39, the cover having vent screens 41 to
ventilate the motor housed therein.
Likewise, the free or submersible end of the angularly disposed
section of the housing is enlarged with outwardly facing vertical
walls 43 for the mounting of the jet head assemblies, such walls
being angularly disposed with respect to each other, whereby the
jet head assemblies, when installed, will be angularly related to
each other in a common plane. The discharge from each jet head
assembly will fan out through an arc sufficiently to overlap the
arc of jet activity created by the adjacent jet head assembly,
whereby the area of overlap will represent the cumulative effect
from both jet assemblies. Such cumulative effect may be
substantially the same as that emerging in line from each assembly.
This can be varied somewhat by changing the direction of the
discharge from one or more of the jet head assemblies.
Installation of the hydromassage assembly involves nothing more
than placement of the same on the deck of the pool, with the
vertical portion preferable in engagement with the pool wall. When
thusly installed, the weight of the pump and motor and the reactive
forces of the jet discharges will stabilize the position of the
entire assembly.
The pump utilized in the preferred form of the invention, is one of
the centrifugal type, where the water is discharged through a
volute. The pump is installed with the discharge end of the volute
at an upper level in the pump, whereby the pump casing 47 may then
function as a priming chamber, and when once primed, the pump
should not need repriming thereafter under normal conditions of
use. However, a conventional type foot valve, such as illustrated
in the patent to O.M.Thompson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,323,468 of June 6,
1967, may be added to the suction line 29, to advantage.
To facilitate such priming of the pump, a hose connection 49 to the
pump casing may be installed, with a shut-off valve 51 in such
connection. By removing the cover 39, a hose of the garden variety
may be coupled to the connection 49 and the pump primed, whereupon,
the hose may be disconnected and the valve shut off, and the cover
replaced.
From the foregoing description of the invention, it will be
apparent that the same is portable and entirely independent of the
pool system, and may be placed at any point along the pool deck
which one may desire. The greatest practical range of activity may
be realized, however, by locating the assembly on the pool deck at
approximately the four foot level of water in the pool, though
where youngsters may be involved, one may prefer to locate the
assembly at the more shallow end of the pool.
While the invention has been illustrated and described in its
preferred form and in considerable detail, it will be apparent that
the same is subject to alteration and modification without
departing from the underlying principles involved and, accordingly,
such changes may be deemed to fall within the scope of the claims
involved.
* * * * *