CA2612816C - Anchoring system for swimming pool stairs - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a staircase arrangement for use within a swimming pool. The staircase arrangement comprises a staircase and at least one suction device. The staircase includes a set of stairs, a bottom-facing surface and a wall-facing surface. Each of the at least one suction devices comprises an attachment portion for attachment to at least one of the bottom-facing surface and the wall-facing surface of the staircase and a suction portion suitable for establishing a suction connection with an interior surface of the swimming pool so as to secure the staircase to the interior surface of the swimming pool.

Description

1 TITLE: ANCHORING SYSTEM FOR SWIMMING POOL STAIRS

2

3 FIELD OF THE INVENTION

4 The present invention relates generally to anchoring systems for swimming pool 6 stairs, and more particularly, to anchoring systems that includes suction devices for 7 securing the swimming pool stairs to the interior of a swimming pool.

11 Most in-ground swimming pools have one or more sets of stairs for enabling 12 swimmers to enter and exit the swimming pool with ease. These stairs can be either 13 built-in stairs or removable stairs.

Removable stairs come in many different formats, such as ladder-type stairs or 16 staircase-type stairs. Removable stairs can be advantageous since they don't take up 17 as much room as built-in stairs and they can be re-positioned at different locations 18 within the swimming pool. However, in the case of ladder-type stairs, the steps of the 19 ladder are positioned one on top of the other, which users often find difficult to use.
More specifically, these ladder-types of stairs require significant coordination since a 21 user is required to enter the pool backwards while at the same time maintaining a grip 22 on a hand railing.

24 Removable stairs of the staircase-type are more natural to use since a user can just walk down the steps in the same way as they would with any other type of staircase.
26 However, removable stairs of this type also have deficiencies. Firstly, these types of 27 staircases are typically made of hollow shells and, as such, need to be filled with sand 28 or another type of ballast in order to keep them anchored on the bottom of the 29 swimming pool floor. These ballast materials are generally quite expensive, thereby adding to the cost of the staircase. It is also very messy to fill and unfill the staircase, 31 since the ballast material is dirty and difficult to install. Secondly, by simply using 32 ballast to weigh down the staircase, the staircase is not necessarily securely installed 33 at a desired location within the swimming pool. Instead, the staircase can move 34 around, and in certain circumstance scratch or otherwise damage the lining or tiles 1 within the swimming pool. Finally, due to the weight of the ballast within the 2 staircase, the staircase is difficult to move and maneuver when installing it within the 3 swimming pool or removing it from the swimming pool.

In light of the above, it can be seen that there remains a need in the industry to for an 6 anchoring system for removable swimming pool staircases that alleviates at least in 7 part the deficiencies with existing stairs.

11 In accordance with a first broad aspect, the invention provides a staircase arrangement 12 for use within a swimming pool. The staircase arrangement comprises a staircase and 13 at least one suction device. The staircase includes at least two steps, a bottom-facing 14 surface and a wall-facing surface. Each of the at least one suction devices comprises an attachment portion for attachment to at least one of the bottom-facing surface and 16 the wall-facing surface of the staircase and a suction portion suitable for establishing a 17 suction connection with an interior surface of the swimming pool so as to secure the 18 staircase to the interior surface of the swimming pool.

In accordance with a second broad aspect, the invention provides a removable 21 staircase for use within a swimming pool. The removable staircase comprises a 22 hollow body portion that comprises a bottom-facing surface suitable for being 23 positioned against a bottom floor of the swimming pool, a wall-facing surface suitable 24 for being positioned against an interior wall portion of the swimming pool, at least two steps and at least one aperture. The at least one aperture is located within at least 26 one of the bottom-facing surface and the wall-facing surface. The at least one aperture 27 is operative for securely holding an attachment portion of a suction device.

29 In accordance with a third broad aspect, the invention provides an anchoring system for a set of swimming pool stairs. The swimming pool stairs have a bottom-facing 31 surface and a wall-facing surface. The anchoring system comprises at least one 32 suction device that comprises an attachment portion for attachment to at least one of 33 the bottom-facing surface and the wall-facing surface of the set of stairs and a suction 34 portion suitable for establishing a suction connection with an interior surface of the 1 swimming pool so as to secure the set of stairs to the interior surface of the swimming 2 pool.

4 These and other aspects and features of the present invention will now become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following description 6 of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying 7 drawings.

11 In the accompanying drawings:

13 Figure 1 shows a front perspective view of a staircase arrangement in accordance with 14 a non-limiting example of implementation of the present invention;
16 Figure 2 illustrates a bottom perspective view of the staircase arrangement of Figure 17 1;

19 Figure 3 illustrates a bottom plan view of the staircase arrangement of Figure 1;
21 Figure 4 illustrates a side plan view of the staircase arrangement of Figure 1;

23 Figure 5 illustrates a back plan view of the staircase arrangement of Figure 1;

Figure 6 illustrates a front plan view of the staircase arrangement of Figure 1;

27 Figure 7 illustrates a perspective representation of the staircase arrangement of Figure 28 1 positioned within a swimming pool;

Figure 8 illustrates a top perspective view of a suction device in accordance with a 31 non-limiting example of implementation of the present invention;

33 Figure 9 illustrates a side plan view of the suction device of Figure 8;

1 Figure 10 illustrates a bottom plan view of the suction device of Figure 9;

3 Figure 11 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the staircase shown in Figure 1; and Figure 12 illustrates an exploded cross-sectional view of the suction device of Figure 6 8 attached to the staircase of Figure 1.

8 It is to be expressly understood that the description and drawings are only for the 9 purpose of illustration of certain embodiments of the invention and are an aid for understanding. They are not intended to be a definition of the limits of the invention.

3 Shown in Figures 1 through 6 is a removable swimming pool staircase arrangement 4 10 in accordance with a non-limiting example of implementation of the present invention As shown, the staircase arrangement 10 includes a staircase 12 and a 6 plurality of suction devices 16 for securing the staircase 12 to the interior surface of a 7 swimming pool (as shown in Figure 7).

9 As best shown in Figure 2, the staircase 12 comprises a plurality of steps 14, a bottom-facing surface 18 and a wall-facing surface 20. In the embodiment shown, the 11 staircase 12 includes four steps 14. However, it should be appreciated that a staircase 12 12 having any number of steps is included within the scope of the present invention.
13 The number of steps 14 can vary depending on the intended use of the staircase 12.
14 For example, the number of steps 14 can vary depending on the depth of the swimming pool and the desired distance between steps, among other factors.

17 The staircase 12 can be made of a variety of different materials such as plastic, 18 fiberglass and/or a composite material. In accordance with a non-limiting 19 embodiment, the staircase 12 is made of a plastic material that is molded into a hollow shell having the desired shape. As such, the staircase 12 includes an interior cavity 21 within the hollow shell. As shown in Figure 1, an opening 30 is included within the 22 staircase 12 for accessing the interior cavity. The opening 30 can be sealed with a 23 closure device 32, such as a plug or cap. The closure device 32 may seal the opening 24 30 via a pressure fit, a snap fit, or via threaded engagement, among other possibilities.
Although the opening 30 is shown in Figure 1 as being on the side of the staircase 12, 26 it should be appreciated that the opening 30 could be located on any surface of the 27 staircase 12, including the bottom-facing surface 18 and/or the wall-facing surface 20.
28 The size of the opening 30 can vary.

As mentioned above, the staircase arrangement 10 includes a plurality of suction 31 devices 16. In the embodiment shown, the suction devices 16 are divided into a first 32 set of suction devices that are attached to the bottom-facing surface 18 of the staircase 33 12 and a second set of suction devices that are attached to the wall-facing surface 20 34 of the staircase 12. Although Figures 2-6 show suction devices 16 included on both

5 1 the bottom facing surface 18 and the wall-facing surface 20 of the staircase 12, it 2 should be appreciated that in an alternative embodiment, suction devices 16 may be 3 included on only one of the bottom-facing surface 18 or the wall-facing surface 20.
4 For example, suction devices 16 may be included only on the bottom-facing surface 18 of the staircase 12. Or, suction devices 16 may be included only on the wall-facing

6 surface 20 of the staircase 12.

7

8 In the embodiment shown, four suction devices 16 are included on the bottom-facing

9 surface 18 and four suction devices 16 are included on the wall-facing surface 20. It should, however, be appreciated that more or less suction devices 16 can be included 11 on each of the bottom-facing surface 18 and/or the wall-facing surface 20 without 12 departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, anywhere between one 13 suction device 16 and twenty (or more) suction devices 16 can be included on each of 14 the bottom-facing surface 18 and the wall-facing surface 20 of the staircase 12. In addition, the same number of suction devices 16 can be included on the bottom-facing 16 surface 18 as the wall-facing surface 20, or alternatively, a different number of suction 17 devices 16 can be included on the respective surfaces. For example, the bottom-facing 18 surface 18 may include four suction devices 16, while the wall-facing surface 20 may 19 include only two suction devices 16. As such, it should be appreciated that any number and configuration of suction devices 16 can be included on the bottom-facing 21 surface 18 and the wall-facing surface 20 of the staircase.

23 Likewise, the manner in which the suction devices 16 are arranged on the bottom-24 facing surface 18 and/or the wall-facing surface 20 of the staircase 12 can vary, without departing from the spirit of the invention. In accordance with a first example, 26 the suction devices 16 are arranged on the bottom-facing surface 18 and/or the wall-27 facing surface 20 in accordance with a pattern, such as in a square-shaped 28 configuration, as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 5. In such an embodiment, the suction 29 devices 16 are typically evenly distributed on the bottom-facing surface 18 and/or the wall-facing surface 20 of the staircase 12 so as to secure the staircase 12 to an interior 31 surface of a swimming pool in a uniform manner. Alternatively, the suction devices 32 16 can be distributed in accordance with a random, or un-even configuration. The 33 best, or most desirable, manner in which the suction devices 16 are arranged on the 34 staircase 12 can be determined by a manufacturer of the staircase arrangement 10.

2 Shown in Figures 8 and 9 is an example of a suction device 16 in accordance with a 3 non-limiting example of implementation of the present invention. As shown, each 4 suction device 16 includes an attachment portion 34 for attaching the suction device 16 to the staircase 12, and a suction portion 36 for enabling the suction device 16 to 6 establish a suction connection with an interior surface of the swimming pool. In the 7 embodiment shown in the Figures, the attachment portion 34 is in the shape of an 8 inverted truncated cone that has a flat abutment surface 38 at its base.

As shown in Figure 10, the suction portion 36 of the suction device 16 is in the shape 11 of a concave circular disk. When a downward force is exerted on the suction device 12 16, the circular disk moves downwardly and splays outwardly. This pushes the air out 13 from between the concave disk and the surface to which it is being applied, thus 14 creating a vacuum between the suction device 16 and the given surface. This vacuum seals the suction portion 36 to the surface to which it is applied, thus creating a 16 suction connection between the surface and the suction device 16.

18 Each of the suction devices 16 includes a release-facilitating portion 46 such that once 19 a suction connection has been established between the suction device 16 and a surface, the suction connection can be broken, such that the suction device can be 21 removed from the surface. In the non-limiting embodiment shown, the release-22 facilitating portion 46 includes a flange portion 47, with a hole 49 positioned 23 therethrough. In this manner, by grabbing the flange portion 47 and lifting upwardly, 24 air is able to enter underneath the suction portion 36 of the suction device 16, thus breaking the vacuum seal.

27 In accordance with a non-limiting embodiment, the suction portion 36 of the suction 28 device 16 has a diameter of between 2.5 and 5 inches. It should however be 29 appreciated that a suction device 16 having any diameter is included within the scope of the present invention.

32 The suction devices 16 can be made from a variety of different materials.
For 33 example, the suction devices 16 can be made from natural rubber or synthetic rubber 34 such as polyvinylchloride (PVC plastic) and/or neoprene. However, any material, 1 whether natural or synthetic, that provides appropriate flexibility, elasticity, durability 2 and strength can be used to make the suction devices 16.

4 As shown in Figure 11, the staircase 12 includes a plurality of apertures 42 for enabling the suction devices 16 to be attached to the staircase 12. The number of 6 apertures 42 included within the staircase 12 is dependent on the intended number of 7 suction devices 16 that are to be attached to the staircase 12. In general, the staircase 8 12 includes one aperture 42 per suction device 16 that is to be attached thereto.

In order to receive the four suction devices 16 on the bottom facing surface 18, and 11 four suction devices 16 on the wall-facing surface 16, the staircase 12 shown in the 12 Figures includes four apertures 42 on the bottom facing surface 18 and four apertures 13 42 on the wall facing surface 20.

As shown in Figure 11, each aperture 42 includes an opening that extends into the 16 hollow cavity of the staircase 12. The apertures 42 are wide enough to receive the 17 truncated cone-shaped attachment portion 34 of the suction device 16, such that when 18 the attachment portion 34 is pushed into the aperture 42, the opening expands and the 19 attachment portion 34 eventually snaps into the cavity of the staircase 12.
In this manner, the flat abutment surface 38 of the attachment portion 34 abuts against the 21 interior wall of the housing of the staircase 12. As such, once the attachment portion 22 34 of the suction device 16 has been inserted into the aperture 42 via this snap-fit 23 arrangement, the suction device 16 cannot be easily removed from the staircase 12.

In alternative embodiments, the suction devices 16 can be attached to the staircase in 26 other ways. For example, the attachment portion 34 may include threads, such that the 27 suction device 16 is secured to the staircase 12 by threading the attachment portion 34 28 into corresponding threads within a recess in the staircase 12. In yet another 29 alternative, the suction device 16 can be attached to the staircase via adhesive or mechanical fasteners. In yet a further alternative embodiment, the suction devices 16 31 can be an integrally molded part of the staircase 12.

33 The manner in which the removable staircase arrangement 10 is installed within a 34 swimming pool will now be described in more detail. Firstly, the suction devices 16 1 are attached to the staircase 12 and a small amount of ballast material, is inserted 2 within the hollow cavity of the staircase 12 through the opening 30. This ballast 3 material can be sand, gravel, silica granules, or any other known ballast material, 4 which helps to add weight to the hollow staircase structure. Once the ballast material has been inserted within the hollow cavity of the staircase 12, the closure device 32 6 seals the cavity such that the ballast is trapped within the cavity. In an alternative 7 embodiment, the ballast can be inserted within the cavity prior to the suction devices 8 16 being attached to the staircase 12. These two steps are interchangeable.

As shown in Figure 7, the staircase arrangement 10 is then positioned within the 11 interior of a swimming pool 8. Once the staircase arrangement 10 has been positioned 12 at a desired location within the swimming pool 8, a downward force is then applied to 13 the staircase 12, such that the suction devices 16 located on the bottom-facing surface 14 18 of the staircase 12 establish a suction connection with the bottom surface 22 of the swimming pool 8. Likewise, a lateral force is applied to the staircase 12 in the 16 direction of an interior wa1124 of the swimming pool 8, such that the suction devices 17 16 located on the wall-facing surface 20 of the staircase 12 establish a suction 18 connection with the side wa1124 of the swimming pool 8. Once the suction devices 16 19 have established a suction connection with these interior surfaces of the swimming pool 8, the staircase arrangement 10 is secured to the interior surface of the swimming 21 pool via the suction connections established by the suction devices 12. It should be 22 appreciated that the downward force and the lateral side-force can be applied to the 23 staircase simultaneously, or in a sequential manner. In addition, these forces can be 24 applied to the staircase arrangement 10 manually, or using equipment or machinery.
26 The suction devices 16 that are used to secure the removable staircase 12 to the 27 interior surface of the swimming pool 8 are able to maintain the staircase 12 in place 28 more securely and effectively than traditional anchoring systems that simply relied on 29 the weight of the ballast material to keep the staircase in place. While some ballast is still used in combination with the suction devices 16, the use of the suction devices 16 31 allows less ballast to be used. Traditionally, removable staircases have required 32 between 200-300lbs of ballast in order to maintain the staircases in place within the 33 swimming pool. However, by using the suction devices 16 in combination with the 34 ballast, the ballast can be reduced to approximately 50lbs. This means that less of the 1 costly ballast material is required, and makes the staircase arrangement 10 of the 2 present invention easier to manipulate and position within the interior of the 3 swimming pool than traditional removable staircases. The weight reduction, and 4 minimization of ballast material also make the staircase arrangement 12 easier to remove from the swimming pool in the case where the staircase 12 needs to be 6 cleaned or repaired.

8 Finally, the staircase arrangement 10 of the present invention creates less damage to 9 the liner and/or tiles of the swimming pool than more traditional types of removable staircases that are filled with hundreds of pounds of ballast material. This is due in 11 part to the fact that the staircase arrangement 10 is significantly lighter than traditional 12 staircase arrangements since it does not contain as much ballast. However, it is also 13 due in part to the fact that the suction devices 16 provide a cushioning surface on 14 which the staircase 12 rests within the swimming pool. In addition, the suction devices 16 reduce the amount of surface-to-surface contact between the bottom-facing 16 surface 18 of the staircase 12, and the bottom surface 22 of the swimming pool.

18 Referring back to Figure 7, in certain circumstances the staircase arrangement 10 19 includes a hand railing 45. The hand railing 45 generally extends between a surface located outside of the swimming pool and a location on the bottom portion of the stair 21 case 12. In this manner, a user is able to hold onto the hand railing 45 as he or she 22 walks down the steps. The hand railing 45 can fit into a slot within the staircase 12, or 23 alternatively can be bolted or riveted to the staircase. Manners of attaching hand 24 railings to swimming pool staircases are known in the art, and as such will not be described in more detail herein.

27 In accordance with a first non-limiting example of implementation of the present 28 invention, the staircase 12 and the suction devices 16 described herein are sold 29 separately. However, in an alternative embodiment, the staircase 12 and a suitable number of suction devices 16 are packaged together, such that they are sold as a kit.
31 In this manner, a customer simply needs to purchase one kit in order to have all the 32 components needed to install the removable staircase arrangement 10 within a 33 swimming pool. In certain circumstances, the hand railing 45 is also included within 34 the kit.

2 While specific embodiments of the present invention have been described and 3 illustrated, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that further modifications and 4 variations can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (10)

CLAIMS:

1. A staircase for use within a swimming pool, comprising:
at least two steps, a bottom-facing surface and a wall-facing surface, said bottom-facing surface having a curved edge and wavy side edges and said wall-facing surface having straight edges; and a plurality of suction devices, each suction device comprising:
an attachment portion for attachment to at least one of said bottom-facing surface and said wall-facing surface of said staircase; and a suction portion suitable for establishing a suction connection with an interior surface of the swimming pool so as to secure said staircase to the interior surface of the swimming pool, wherein said plurality of suction devices are divided into a first set of suction devices and a second set of suction devices, said attachment portions of said first set of suction devices being attached to said bottom-facing surface of said staircase, and said attachment portions of said second set of suction devices being attached to said wall-facing surface of said staircase, and said first and second sets of suction devices being arranged in substantially identical patterns at said bottom-facing surface and said wall-facing surface, respectively.

2. A staircase as defined in claim 1, wherein said first set of suction devices includes at least four suction devices and said second set of suction devices includes at least four suction devices.

3. A staircase as defined in claim 1, wherein each suction device in said plurality of suction devices includes a release-facilitating portion, said release facilitating portion being operative for breaking the suction connection between the suction device and an interior surface of the swimming pool.

4. A staircase as defined in claim 3, wherein said release-facilitating portion includes a flange portion with a hole therethrough.

5. A staircase as defined in claim 4, further comprising a hand railing portion for extending from the staircase to a surface that is outside the swimming pool.

6. A staircase as defined in claim 1, wherein said attachment portion of each of said plurality of suction devices is attached to the at least one of said bottom-facing surface and said wall-facing surface of said staircase via a snap-fit arrangement.

7. A staircase as defined in claim 1, wherein said suction portion of each of said plurality of suction devices includes a concave cup-shaped disc, said concave cup-shaped disc having a diameter of between 2.5 to 5 inches.

8. A staircase as defined in claim 1, wherein said staircase is formed from a plastic material.

9. A staircase as defined in claim 8, wherein said staircase is formed from a hollow shell.

10. A staircase as defined in claim 9, wherein said hollow shell includes a sealable opening for receiving ballast.