AU702516B3 - A pool lift - Google Patents

Description

WO 98/43912 PCT/AU98/00219 A POOL LIFT FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a pool lift to allow invalid persons to enter and leave a pool. The pool lift can be used in swimming pools, therapy pools, spas and other bodies of water.

BACKGROUND ART Swimming and hydrotherapy is useful for invalid or elderly personsto improve muscle tone, coordination and the like. However, such persons have difficulty in entering, and particularly in leaving the pool.

It is known to provide pool ramps which are useful for wheelchair bound persons, and these ramps have some use to allow elderly or invalid people to walk into and out of a pool. However, many people are unable to enter or leave a pool via a ramp.

For this reason, pool lifts have been developed. Known pool lifts have a vertical column which is bolted or otherwise attached to the side of the pool. The column has a part (typically a link, collar or carriage) which moves up and down along the column. The part is usually an extension of a framework on which a chair is fixed. The chair moves up and down the column, and some type of drive means such as a winding handle can be fitted to the column to raise or lower the chair. U.S. patent 5,465,433 is an example of such a mechanism as is Australian patent application 19083/83.

It is known to have the pool lift seat able to swing or otherwise move between a loading position where the seat overlies the pool edge, and a descent position where the seat is swung out over the pool water. For instance, in U.S. patent 5,465,433, the seat is attached to a piston rod 18 which can swing around to put the seat over pool edge 13. In Australian patent application 19083/83, the vertical column is hinged to fixed pins such that the seat and the column can swing between a load and descent position. U.S. patent 4,221,008 illustrates a twist column where the seat automatically swings as it moves into and out of the pool.

One disadvantage with existing pool lifts is that the swing arrangement by which the seat can move- between a load and descent position is WO 98/43912 PCT/AU98/00219 2 quite complex and somewhat clumsy. For instance, in U.S. patent 5,465,433, the entire piston and its attached support 28 needs to be rotated, while in Australian patent application 19083/83, the entire column member needs to be rotated in order to swing the seat. Movement of such large parts of the pool lift can cause injury and has an increased susceptibility to failure.

Occasionally, a swimmer can be injured in the pool such that a stretcher is required to lift the injured person from the pool. This can occur, for instance, when slipping in the shallow end, or diving in the shallow end. These injuries can comprise neck and spine injuries and it is essential that the person is removed from the pool in a horizontal manner. Existing pool lifts comprising seats are unsuitable for such use. Custom made pool lifts having stretchers are known but these have to be wheeled to the edge of the pool when required, and when not required, needs to be stored in a safe yet closed location for ready use.

This arrangement is also cumbersome and has not met with great commercial success. Theoretically, the arrangement in Australian patent application 19083/83 could be converted to a stretcher arrangement but this would require removal of the entire vertical column 1 and replacement with a specially designed vertical column containing a stretcher. Further, the column would need to pivot about a greater angle in order to allow the stretcher to move into the pool without striking the edge. A similar difficulty would be present with the arrangement illustrated in U.S. patents 5,465,433 and 4,221,008.

A further disadvantage with existing pool lifts is that the pool lifts are either permanently fixed to the side of the pool or have subassemblies or subattachments which are permanently fixed to the pool. Both arrangements are undesirable, as while pool lifts are quite important, they are not always required, and when not required, the pool lifts should not present any projection, edge or obstruction to normal and safe use of the pool.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a pool lift that can be used in a swimming pool, hydrotherapy pool, spa, or other body of water and which can overcome at least some of the abovementioned disadvantages.

In one arrangement, the pool-lift according to the invention has a WO 98/43912 PCT/AU98/00219 3 simple yet reliable coupling arrangement which allow a variety of attachments to be quickly attached and detached from the pool lift (these attachments including seats, stretchers, exercise equipment and the like). In another form, the pool lift can include a simple yet reliable hinge arrangement to allow the seat or other type of attachment to swing between a loading and descent position. A further form of the invention can include a pool lift which is portable and which does not require fasteners, screws, or subassemblies which are left behind in the pool.

In one form, the invention resides in a pool lift comprising a column member which has a lower end which is insertable into the pool water and an upper end which extends above the water; a link member which is operatively mounted relative to the column member and which is moveable along the column member, the link member being provided with coupling means; drive means to move the link member along the column member; and support means adapted to support a person, the support means having coupling means which is releasably couplable to the coupling means on the link member.

In this arrangement, a number of support means such as seats, exercise equipment, stretchers and the like can be quickly attached and detached from the pool lift, improving the versatility of use of the pool lift.

As well, by having the support means couplable to the link member, it is not necessary to remove large parts of the pool lift in order to replace one support means with another support means.

Another advantage of the invention is that the pool lift can provide a simple yet reliable hinge arrangement to swing the support means between a load position where the support means is above the pool edge, and an ascending and descending position where the support means is in the pool. In the invention, this can be achieved by having the coupling means also comprising hinge means. For instance, the coupling means can comprise a pin and socket or similar type arrangement where, for instance, the link member can consist of a pair of socket pins while the support means can have a pair of pins WO 98/43912 PCT/AU98/00219 4 which can fit into and can pivot relative to the sockets. In this arrangement, the coupling means provides two functions, the first function being to releasably couple the support means to the link member and the second function being to allow the support means to pivot relative to the link member.

In another form, the pool lift has the advantage of being portable in nature with no part of the pool lift or any form of subassembly being permanently fixed to any part of the pool. Thus, in another form of the invention, there is provided a pool lift comprising a column member which has a lower end which is insertable into the pool of water and an upper end which extends above the water; a link member which is operatively mounted relative to the column and which is movable between a raised position and a lowered position; drive means to move the link member along the column member; support means adapted to support a person, the support means being attached to the link member; a frame arrangement attached to the column member and which extends substantially at right angles therefrom such that the frame arrangement is supported by the pool surround when the column member is inserted in the pool; and, wheel members attached to the frame arrangement such that when the column member is tilted out of the pool, the pool lift is supported by the wheel members and can be moved away.

In this form of the invention, the frame arrangement supports the column member while in use, with the wheel members being attached to the frame arrangement in such a manner as the column member can be tilted out of the pool with the weight of the pool lift being on the wheel members such that the entire pool lift can be simply wheeled away.

This portable arrangement can also have coupling means as described above such that a variety of support means can be coupled and decoupled and hinged in a simple manner relative to the column member.

While the invention will be described with reference to a pool lift, it should be appreciated that the lift can be used in a variety of different types of WO 98/43912 PCT/AU98/00219 pools such as swimming pools, hydrotherapy pools, but can also be used in other water bodies such as spas. The pool lift can be attached to boats to allow persons to enjoy lakes, rivers and seas. The lift could be attached to a pontoon or jetty for similar reasons.

The column member is typically formed from a corrosion resistant or a corrosion free material such as stainless steel, brass, plastics and the like.

The column member has a length and a size to suit the body of water in which it is to be used. The column member can be of various cross-section shapes such as circular, oval, rectangular, square or other polygonal shapes. In an example, the column is formed from steel box section.

Adjacent a lower end of the column is usually provided a foot, pad, or other support which presses against the side of the pool when the column member is inserted into the pool. This member can be made adjustable in length or can remain fixed. This member does not need to be fastened to the side of the pool.

The link member which is operatively mounted relative to the column member can have a portion located within the column member and a portion which extends from the column member, for instance through a slot in the outer wall of the column member. The link member can be mounted relative to the column member in a variety of manners. In one form, the link member is a carriage which can slide up and down within the column member. In another form, a worm gear could be present inside the column with the link member having a threaded socket which extends about the worm gear such that rotation of the worm gear moves the link member up and down along the column. In another arrangement, pulleys and belts could be used to move the link member up and down the column. Other arrangements could include tapes, belts such as tooth belts, chains, cables or ropes. Gear arrangements including spockets and pulleys could be used. A winch drum could also be used to raise and lower the link member.

The link member, in one form, is provided with coupling means which can engage with coupling means on the.support means. For instance, the link member can be provided with one or more pins or sockets which can couple WO 98/43912 PCT/AU98/00219 6 with one or more sockets or pins on the support means. Of course, the link member could contain a combination of pins and sockets. The arrangement of pins and sockets is particularly preferred because of its simplicity yet robustness and ease of use. Other types of releasable couplings are however envisaged.

A drive means is provided to move the link member along the column member. The drive means can comprise a manual drive means or a electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, or other type of motor driven drive means. In a simple version, the drive means can comprise a gear box having a wind handle which can be rotated to raise and lower the link member relative to the column member.

The pool lift further has a support means which is adapted to support a person. The support means typically consists of a seat or chair but can include other types of support means such as stretchers. For water exercisers, the support means can comprise exercise equipment such as a chair having paddles or wheels which need to be rotated or manipulated by the person sitting in the chair.

If the pool lift is to be portable, the pool lift additionally has a frame arrangement which is usually attached to a column member. The frame arrangement can consist of a plate but for reasons of weight and ease of use, preferably consists of tubes or bars. In a preferred form, the frame arrangement consists of a U-shaped bar having a central portion which is attached to the column member and a pair of parallel leg portions which extend away from the column member. This type of frame arrangement sits neatly yet securely on top of the pool surround and functions to hold the column member in a vertical direction in the pool.

The frame arrangement can be adjustably mounted to the column member such that the position of the column member relative to the pool water can vary. For instance, the frame arrangement can have a vertical plate which is adjustably bolted, fastened, pinned or otherwise attached to the column member.

The frame arrangement has wheel members attached to it. These can consist of roller or wheels. The wheel members are preferably attached adjacent the distal ends of the U-shaped frame arrangement such that the entire WO 98/43912 PCT/AU98/00219 7 pool lift can be tilted at an angle of approximately 450 and wheeled from place to place.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS An embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the following drawings in which Figure 1 shows a pool lift fixed to the side of a pool and according to a first embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 shows the pool lift of Figure 1 in greater detail and showing internal components.

Figure 3 shows a portable pool lift according to an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 4 is another view of the pool lift of Figure 3.

Figure 5 shows the pool lift of Figures 3 and 4 and particularly showing various attachments that can be attached to the link member.

Figure 6 shows a variation of the pool lift of Figure Figure 7 shows a pool lift according to an embodiment of the invention and illustrates a particular drive means.

BEST MODE Referring to the figures and initially to Figure 1, there is illustrated a pool lift 10 which can be used in a swimming pool, hydrotherapy pool, spa and other bodies of water. Pool lift 10 has a single column member 11 which has a lower end 12 which is insertable into the pool water, and an upper end 13 which is above the water. Pool lift 10 further includes a link member 14 (not shown in Figure 1 but illustrated in Figure 2) which is operatively mounted relative to column member 11 and which can move between upper and lower positions along column member 11. A drive means 16 is positioned on top of column member 11 and which functions to move the link member 14 along the column member. A support means 17 (in Figure 1 this being a seat) is attached to link member 14 such that movement of link member 14 up and down the column will cause support member 17 to also move up and down the column.

Referring in greater detail to the components, column member 11 is formed from steel rectangular box section and is formed with a longitudinal slot WO 98/43912 PCT/AU98/00219 8 18 extending entirely along the face of the box section which faces into the pool.

The box section is not watertight and water can freely flow into the interior of the box section and can also freely drain therefrom when the column member is lifted from the pool water. Column member 11 is entirely hollow and has a cross-section length of between 10 30cm (this of course can vary to suit).

The length of the column can vary but it is not necessary for the column to extend all the way to the bottom of the pool, it merely being suffient for the column to extend into the pool to a sufficient distance that the support means 17 can be lowered below the pool water to allow the person to enter the pool. In practice, the column member needs to be between 1 2m below the pool level and approximately 1 2m above the pool level.

Link member 14 is a carriage with a portion 19 of link member 14 being inside column member 11, and a flange 20 extending through slot 18 in column member 11. Portion 19 travels through the inside of column member 11 and the entire link member can be formed from steel or engineering plastic. Link member 14 has an upper and lower end which are fitted with carriage wheels 21 (it being appreciated that carriage slides could also be used). Wheels 21 run along the interior walls of column member 11. A lower portion of link member 14 is attached to a wire, rope or tape 22. Tape 22 extends about a lower idler pulley 23 which is positioned adjacent the bottom end of column member 11, and also extends about a winch drum 24 which forms part of drive means 16. Tape 22 runs from the lower portion of link member 14 about lower idler pulley 23 back up through column member 11, over winch drum 22 and is an attached to an upper part of link member 14. This arrangement allows the link member 14 to be pushed/pulled at the same time. Winch drum 24 is geared to a turn handle such that rotation of turn handle 25 causes rotation of winch drum 24 which in turn moves link member 14 along column member 11.

The projecting flange 20 on link member 14 is provided with coupling means which are a pair of vertically aligned spaced apart sockets 26 which are better illustrated in Figure 5. Sockets 26 are welded otherwise rigidly attached to flange The support means in Figures 1 and 2 is a seat 27 which is fixed to WO 98/43912 PCT/AU98/00219 9 a steel or strong plastic framework 28. Framework 28 consists of steel or strong plastic rods or tubes with one part of the framework being attached to a steel or strong plastic plate 29. Plate 29 has coupling means in the form of a pair of linearly aligned spaced apart steel or hard plastic pins 30 which slide within sockets 26.

The arrangement provides a secure coupling of the seat to link member 14 as any weight on seat 11 will force pins 30 into greater engagement with sockets 26. Nevertheless, the seats 27 and its associated framework and plate 29 can be readily decoupled from link member 14 simply by lifting pins out of sockets 26.

The advantage of having pins 30 and sockets 26 attached to relatively thin but strong plates 29 and 20 is that the pins and socket arrangement also functions as a hinge to allow the seat to easily swing through a large angle without plates 29 and 20 contacting each other. The simple yet reliable arrangement provides a quick decoupling and a simple yet highly effective hinging arrangement between column member 11 and seat 27.

The bottom of column member 11 is fitted with an adjustable foot 31. Adjustable foot 31 has a terminal rubber or plastic stop 32 and a threaded bolt 33 which can adjust the distance of the foot by simple rotation of the bolt.

In Figure 1, column member 11 has a laterally extending support arm 34 which is attached to a base plate 35, with base plate 35 being bolted or otherwise permanently fixed to pool surround 36. Arm 34 is removably attached to plate 35 through a pin 37. Removal of pin 37 allows the entire pool lift to be removed from the pool with only a low profile plate 35 being left behind.

Figures 3 and 4 illustrate a portable pool lift. Like numbers have been used to designate like parts. In this embodiment, column member 11 is fastened to a frame arrangement 37 which consists of a central member 38 and two outwardly extending parallel leg members 39. The members are formed from steel, strong plastic or other suitable load bearing material. Central member 38 is welded or otherwise fixed to a plate 40. Plate 40 is adjustably mountable to column member 11 through a series of alignable apertures 41 through which a bolt, lock pin or like member can be inserted. This allows the degree of insertion WO 98/43912 PCT/AU98/00219 of column member into the pool to be varied. Leg members 39 are provided with terminal wheels or rollers 42. Wheels or rollers 42 are positioned and configured such that when column member 11 is tilted out of the pool, the pool lift is supported by wheels 42 and can therefore be held, typically by drive means 16, and wheeled from place to place. In this arrangement, no part is permanently bolted or otherwise fixed to any part of the pool. As a safety precaution, pins 43 extend downwardly from leg members 39 and these pass into drilled holes 44 in the pool surround (see Figure Figure 5 shows how three different types of support means can be lo attached to the link member. Particularly, Figure 5 shows a framework 45 on which a stretcher can be placed. Framework 45 has a vertically extending small cross-section beam 46 containing downwardly extending vertically aligned pins which can pin into sockets 26 on link member 14. Figure 5 also shows how seat 27 can also be simply attached and removed from link member 14. Figure further shows a hoist 47 again having coupling means in the form of downwardly extending pins 30 which can slot within sockets 26 on link member 14. Figure therefore particularly illustrates the versatility of the invention and also shows that by having a projecting flange 20, the various attachments can be swung through a good angle without striking any part of the pool lift.

Figure 6 illustrates a slight modification where pins 43 extend behind the pool coping 48 to secure the pool lift relative to the pool. In this embodiment, pins 43 could be replaced by a plate again to be positioned behind coping 48. In the embodiment of Figure 6, as light re-design of wheel 42 is required to ensure that wheel 42 takes the load of the pool lift when column member 11 is tilted out of the pool. Particularly, wheel 42 is not in ground engagement when hoist is in use (this being illustrated in Figure 6) but does become ground engaging when the hoist is tilted out of the pool. A similar arrangement can be seen with reference to Figure Figure 7 illustrates a particularly preferred drive means having a double purchase pulley tape 49 and a spring or gas strut 50 which reduces the effects on the winch wind mechanism thereby allowing lighter gauge materials to be used.

WO 98/43912 PCT/AU98/00219 11 The column member 11 is attached to the pool edge either by the pool edge either by a fixed plinth or plate or base mount or fixed leg to allow forced ability and load sharing over a larger surface area. This results in keeping the load within the centre of gravity between the fixed legs at loading position and to keep the person on the seat stable when over the pool in the raised and lowered position. The adjustable foot 31 allows the cantilever loads to be accommodated. The wheels on the pool lift can either be permanently attached or removably attached. The various components of the pool lift can be fabridted' in stainless steel, aluminium, plastics or composites. A latching mechanism may be used to fix the seat when it is being raised or lowered to prevent it from inadvertently swinging over the pool edge. Seat handles and arm rests either fixed or swing over may be used. Seat belts or other forms or restraints are also envisaged. The drive means can be manual via a handle or crank handle that can be removed from the pool lift unit and can include an adaptor such that an electric battery powered drill can be used to provide drive to the gear. If desired, some form of brake such an electromagnetic brake may be associated with the motor. The drive motor may be solar powered or solar recharged and may include a battery recharger powered from a normal household power supply.

It should be appreciated that various other changes and modifications can be made to the embodiment described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Claims (3)

1. A pool lift comprising a non-rotatable column member which has a lower end which is insertable into the pool water and an upper end which extends above the water; a link member which is operatively mounted relative to the column member and which is moveable along the column member, the link member being provided with coupling means; drive means to move the link member along the column member; and support means adapted to support a person, the support means having coupling means which is releasably couplable to the coupling means 0 on the link member, the coupling means comprising hinge means to allow the support means to hinge relative to the link member. 00 00

2. The lift of claim 1, wherein the column member is hollow and has a longitudinal slot extending through one wall, the link member having a portion which is within the column member and a portion which extends through the slot, the coupling means on the link member being on the portion which extends through the slot.

3. The lift of claim 1 or claim 2 substantially as hereinbefore 20 described with reference to the drawings. o: DATED this 2 1 t day of December 1998 Suzanne Christine ROBERTS By her Patent Attorneys *C CULLEN CO. O;