EP2325417A2

EP2325417A2 - Foot pad enhanced friction device and method for submersible swimming pool cleaner

Info

Publication number: EP2325417A2
Application number: EP20100251935
Authority: EP
Inventors: Pavel Sebor
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-11-16
Filing date: 2010-11-16
Publication date: 2011-05-25

Abstract

A footpad (10) for a swimming pool cleaner (12) carries a footpad (10) which itself carries a flexible vacuum seal (16) for contacting a submerged surface (18) during movement of the cleaner (12) driven by an interrupted fluid flow (20) through the cleaner (12). The footpad (10) includes a bottom contoured surface (26) and is formed from a first material making frictional contact with the submerged surface (18). The footpad (10) is characterized by a removable friction pad insert (38) locked within an aft most bottom surface portion (40) of the footpad (10). The insert (38) is formed from a second material making a greater frictional contact with the submerged surface than the first material of the footpad (10). The insert (38) further has an arcuate surface (50) generally shaped to conform to and protrude from the bottom contoured surface (26) of the footpad (10).

Description

Cross-Reference to Related Application

This application claims the benefit of US Provisional Application No. 61/261,443 for Foot Pad Enhanced Friction Device and Method for Submersible Swimming Pool Cleaner, having filing date November 16, 2009.

Field of Invention

The present invention generally relates to self propelled swimming pool cleaners having a flexible flange and foot pad attached to a body generating an intermittent flow of a fluid through the cleaner for causing the foot pad and flange to travel across the surface to be cleaned, and more particularly to an improved foot pad enhancing efficiency of the pool cleaner when transitioning from a generally horizontal surface to a non-horizontal surface of a swimming pool.

Background

Submersible pool cleaners employing oscillating valves within a housing and flexible discs or flanges engaging the surface to be cleaned are generally well known, as illustrated by way of example with reference to U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,227 to Chauvier , U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,077 to Hofmann , and US Patent No. 7,159,263 to Sebor , by way of example. The problems associated with debris clogging fluid flow passages, wearing cleaner components, and slippage of the cleaner along other than horizontal surfaces to be cleaned are well known to render the cleaner ineffective or unusable. Yet further known is the difficulty that a consumer faces when attempting to replace such worn components.
One such typically replaceable component includes a foot pad within a central portion of the flexible flange, both of which make friction contact with the surface to be cleaned and both of which will be undesirably worn over use, thus requiring replacement. By way of example, and as illustrated with reference to US Patent No. 6,463,614 to Supra , a foot pad includes wear resistant pads fixed to a lower flange portion of the foot pad at spaced intervals around a suction passage extending through the foot pad.
Yet further, materials used for the foot pad may not be suitable or desirable for all pool surfaces. There is a need for a foot pad useful on multiple surfaces typically used for swimming pools. There is further a need to have the foot pad easily modified or replaced by the consumer, thus avoiding the need for a professional service person for replacing components.

Summary

The present invention is directed to a foot pad useful with a submersible swimming pool cleaner. Embodiments of the present invention herein described provide an enhanced friction device and method for use in the foot pad so as to provide an efficiently run submersible swimming pool cleaner capable of effectively and efficiently transitioning from a generally horizontal surface to a non-horizontal surface of a swimming pool for climbing side walls thereof.
One footpad useful with a submersible swimming pool cleaner may comprise a first material generally forming the overall structure of the footpad with a second material formed on an aft most bottom surface portion of the footpad, the second material making a greater frictional contact with the submerged surface to be cleaned than the first material. The second material may extend along the bottom of the footpad to no more than half the bottom surface contacting the surface to be cleaned. Further, the second material may comprise a friction pad insert carried by the footpad. The friction pad insert may be easily removable by a consumer. Yet further, the second material may comprise a ceramic for use with a ceramic surface of the swimming pool. By way of example, one embodiment may comprise an aft portion of the foot pad formed from a non-glazed ceramic for use in a swimming pool having a glazed ceramic surface. Another embodiment of the footpad may comprise a removable insert having material with the second coefficient of fiction and adapted to fit within an aperture in an aft portion of the foot pad.
One embodiment of the foot pad may comprise one portion of the footpad formed from one material having a first coefficient of friction and a second aft portion of the foot pad having a second coefficient of friction.
One embodiment comprises a footpad useful with a submersible swimming pool cleaner having a body removably carrying the footpad, wherein the footpad carries a flexible vacuum seal, the footpad and flexible vacuum seal contacting a submerged swimming surface to be cleaned during movement of the cleaner therealong as driven by an interrupted fluid flow through the cleaner, the footpad having a flange ring for securing the foot pad to the body, a bottom contoured surface having an outside flange proximate thereto for rotatably receiving the flexible vacuum seal, the foot pad further having a central opening and a plurality of fluid flow ports extending through side and bottom wall portions thereof, at least a bottom portion of the foot pad formed of a first material for making frictional contact with the submerged surface sufficient for permitting movement of the pool cleaner therealong. The foot pad is characterized by a friction pad insert carried within an aft most bottom surface portion of the footpad, the friction pad insert formed from a second material making a greater frictional contact with the submerged surface to be cleaned than the first material of the footpad.
In yet another embodiment, the friction pad insert may comprise a ceramic material, and alternatively a non-glazed ceramic material. It has been found that a ceramic insert is useful with a swimming pool having a ceramic surface. Yet further, it has been found through experimentation that an insert formed from a non-glazed ceramic improves efficiency of the swimming pool cleaner when climbing a wall of a swimming pool having a glazed ceramic surface.
The friction pad insert may be dimensioned to be removably carried by the footpad, wherein the friction pad insert is characterized by a body having a proximal end and an opposing distal end, wherein the proximal end includes an arcuate surface generally shaped to conform with the bottom contoured surface of the footpad, and wherein the distal end is dimensioned to be received within an aperture formed within the footpad. At least one of the footpad or the distal end of the friction pad insert may be deformable and dimensioned to form a locking relationship within the aperture of the footpad.
The arcuate surface of the friction pad insert may protrude above the contoured surface if the footpad.

Brief Description of the Drawings

A preferred embodiment of the invention, as well as alternate embodiments are described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective and bottom views, respectively, of a swimming pool cleaner employing a footpad according to the teachings of the present invention;
FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 are plan, side perspective, and top perspective views, respectively, of one embodiment of the invention including a friction pad insert removably inserted into a footpad;
FIG. 6 is a diagrammatical side view of the swimming pool cleaner maneuvering up a side wall of a swimming pool;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention illustrating a friction pad insert to be removably inserted into the footpad of FIG. 3;
FIG. 8 is a side perspective view of one embodiment of a friction pad insert useful with the footpad of FIG. 3;
FIGS. 9 and 10 are partial cutaway cross sectional and side perspective views, respectively, of the friction pad insert of FIG. 8 removably secured within the footpad according to teachings of the present invention; and
FIGS. 11 and 12 are bottom views of footpads having enhanced friction surface portions according to the teachings of the present invention;

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, the embodiments herein presented are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.
With reference initially to FIGS. 1 and 2, one embodiment of the invention is herein described as a footpad 10 useful with a submersible swimming pool cleaner 12. The cleaner 12 may be described as having a body 14 removably carrying the footpad 10, wherein the footpad carries a flexible vacuum seal 16, the footpad and the flexible vacuum seal contacting a submerged swimming surface 18 to be cleaned during movement of the cleaner therealong as driven by an interrupted fluid flow 20 through the cleaner. As illustrated with continued reference to FIG. 1, the footpad 10 includes a flange ring 22 securing the foot pad to the body 14 typically through attachment to a flange 24 extending around a lower portion of the body.
As illustrated with reference to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, a bottom contoured surface 26 of the footpad 10 includes an outside flange 28 proximate thereto for rotatably receiving the flexible vacuum seal 16 described earlier with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The foot pad 10 further includes a central opening 30 and a plurality of fluid flow ports 32 extending through side and bottom wall portions 34, 36 thereof. The foot pad 10 is typically formed of a material for making frictional contact with the submerged surface 18 sufficient for permitting movement of the pool cleaner 12 therealong.
Embodiments of the invention are directed to improving a wall climbing ability of the swimming pool cleaner 12 for non-horizontal walls and abrupt wall surface changes. Extensive experimentation has revealed that the contact surface 26 of the footpad 10, the surface contacting the submerged swimming pool surface 18 to be cleaned, requires modification in at least an aft portion of the bottom surface of the foodtad.
According to the teachings of the present invention, the foot pad 10 is characterized by a friction pad insert 38 carried within an aft most bottom surface portion 40 of the footpad. The friction pad insert 38 is formed from a material making a greater frictional contact with the submerged surface to be cleaned 18 than the material used to form the footpad 10. It has been determined that ceramic is a useful material for the insert 38. Based on extensive research and testing for ceramic pool surfaces 18, forming the insert 38 from a non-glazed ceramic material provides efficiency when the swimming pool cleaner 12 is maneuvering up a vertical wall 42 of the swimming pool surface as illustrated with reference to FIG. 6.
As illustrated with reference to FIG. 7, the friction pad insert 38 is removably carried by the footpad 10 and easily installed and removed by a consumer without the need for tools. With continued reference to FIG. 7 and to FIGS. 8, 9 and 10, one embodiment of the friction pad insert 38 is characterized by a body 44 having a proximal end 46 and an opposing distal end 48. The proximal end 46 includes an arcuate surface 50 generally shaped to conform to the bottom contoured surface 26 of the footpad 10. The distal end 48 is dimensioned to be received within an aperture 52 formed within the footpad 10. The friction pad insert 38 is removably carried by the footpad 10 in a locking arrangement. For the embodiment herein described by way of example, the friction pad insert 38 extends into and through the aperture 52 extending into the central opening 30 of the footpad 10. It is desirable that at least one of the footpad 10 or the friction pad insert 38 be deformable. For the embodiment herein described, the footpad 10 is deformable. The distal end 48 of the friction pad insert 38 includes a recessed portion 54 dimensioned for receiving a tab portion 56 extending from the footpad 10 so as to provide a locking relationship between the insert and the footpad.
With reference again to FIGS. 9 and 10, the arcuate surface 50 of the friction pad insert 38 may protrude above the contoured surface 26 of the footpad 10 to a distance 58 as desired. Alternatively, the arcuate surface 50 of the friction pad insert 38 may be flush with the foot pad bottom surface 26, wherein the protrusion distance 58 would then be close to or at zero measurement. The extent of the protrusion distance 5 will be as desired and may be more or less in differing inserts based on the material forming the insert, the anticipated ware rate of the insert material, the pool surface to be cleaned, and the like.
As described, the insert 38 and aperture 52 are dimensioned for mating and securing of the insert into the footpad 10 without need for an adhesive, by way of example, thus providing a desirable adjustable feature to the footpad - insert combination. By way of one commercially desirable example, the footpad 10 or the swimming pool cleaner 12 may be sold and packaged allowing a retailer and a consumer to optionally use the insert 38 based on the pool surface 18, and further allow for multiple inserts formed from various materials appropriate for use on various pool surfaces, while maintaining a desirable footpad material such as a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) herein described by way of example.
For most pool surfaces the use of TPE material for the footpad 10 has been found to be effective in maneuvering the pool cleaner 12 up the vertical wall surface 42, by way of example. Likewise, the use of a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) material for the vacuum seal (a flexible plate) 16 effectively provides a seal and, in combination with the footpad 10, a desirable movement of the pool cleaner 12 along the submerged surfaces 18 to be cleaned.
By way of example the footpad 10 herein described by way of example, and with reference again to FIG. 3, the bottom contoured surface 26 includes a plurality of grooves 60 extending generally radially from a periphery 62 to the central opening 30 with the insert 30 located generally between the aft most grooves.
As above described, it has been found that the friction provided by a non-glazed ceramic material provides a desirable surface to surface transitioning feature on a ceramic swimming pool surface to be cleaned. However, it may be beneficial to use the rubber-like material such as TPE or TPU for the footpad 10 for the general purpose movement along the surfaces 18, 42, both horizontal and non-horizontal. Alternate embodiments may comprise use of enhanced friction surfaces for a bottom aft portion 64 of the footpad 10, such as that illustrated with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. For the example herein described with reference to FIG. 12, one embodiment may comprise at least a rear half portion 66 of the bottom surface 26 of the footpad 10 having a ceramic finish with the front portion having a rubber-like surface, such as a TPE or TPU material. Yet another embodiment, as illustrated with reference to FIG. 1, may include a smaller rear portion 68 formed of non-glazed ceramic material and most of the bottom surface of the TPE material. It will be understood by those of skill in the art, that enhancing the frictional characteristics between the footpad 10 and the surface to be cleaned 18 will be in an aft portion of the footpad to enhance the climbing capability of the pool cleaner 12 on selected pool surfaces, as illustrated with reference again to FIG. 6. While the use of a non-glazed ceramic surface on the footpad 10 for use on a glazed ceramic swimming pool surface 18 is recommended, other combinations of enhanced friction surfaces for use with selected pool surfaces will come to the mind of those of skill in the art now having the benefit if the teachings of the present invention.
Enhanced friction surfaces on the footpad 10 for use on various pool surfaces 18 may comprise beads, cloth, glass, fiberglass, rubber, sponge, volcanic ash, and the like removably inserted, as above described, or molded into the footpad. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, operation of the vacuum control using footpad apertures, channels and openings is not compromised.
Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to the mind of one skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that modifications and embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of claims supported by this disclosure.

Claims

A footpad (10) adapted for use as a part of a submersible swimming pool cleaner (12), the footpad (10) being designed to carry a flexible vacuum seal (16), the footpad (10) and the flexible vacuum seal (16) contacting a submerged swimming surface to be cleaned (18) during movement of the cleaner (12) therealong as driven by an interrupted fluid flow (20) through the cleaner (12), the footpad (10) having a bottom contoured surface (26), the foot pad (10) having at least a bottom portion thereof formed of a first material for making frictional contact with the submerged surface (18) sufficient for permitting movement of the pool cleaner (12) therealong, the footpad (10) characterized by:
a friction pad insert (38) carried within an aft most bottom surface portion (40) of the footpad (10), the friction pad insert (38) formed from a second material making a greater frictional contact with the submerged surface to be cleaned (18) than the first material of the footpad (10), wherein the friction pad insert (38) includes a proximal end (46) and an opposing distal end (48), the proximal end (46) having an arcuate surface (50) generally shaped to conform with the bottom contoured surface (26) of the footpad (10), the distal end (48) dimensioned to be received within an aperture (52) of the footpad (10) radially extending from a periphery (62) thereof toward the central opening (30).
The footpad (10) according to Claim 1, wherein the second material comprises ceramic material.
The footpad (10) according to Claim 2, wherein the ceramic material comprises a non-glazed ceramic.
The footpad (10) according to Claim 1, wherein the second material comprises any one or more of beads, cloth, glass, fiberglass, rubber, sponge, and volcanic ash.
The footpad (10) according to any preceding claim, wherein the friction pad insert (38) is removably carried by the footpad (10) in a locking arrangement therewith.
The footpad (10) according to any preceding claim, wherein the footpad (10) includes a central opening (30), and wherein the friction pad insert (38) extends through the aperture (52) into the central opening (30).
The footpad (10) according to any preceding claim, wherein at least one of the footpad (10) and the distal end (48) of the friction pad insert (48) is deformable, and wherein the distal end (48) of the friction pad insert (38) forms a locking relationship within the aperture (52).
The footpad (10) according to Claim 7, wherein the distal end (48) of the friction pad insert (38) comprises a recessed portion (54) dimensioned for receiving a tab portion (56) extending from the footpad (10) so as to provide the locking relationship.
The footpad (10) according to any preceding claim, wherein the arcuate surface (50) of the friction pad insert (38) protrudes above the contoured surface (26) of the footpad (10).
The footpad (10) according to any preceding claim, wherein the bottom contoured surface (26) includes a plurality of grooves (60) extending generally radially therein from the periphery (62) to the central opening (30) thereof.
The footpad (10) according to any preceding claim, further comprising a flange (28) extending proximate the periphery (62) thereof for carrying the flexible vacuum seal (16).
The footpad (10) according to any preceding claim, wherein the footpad (10) includes a flange ring (22) for securing the footpad (10) to at body (14) of the cleaner (12) and an outside flange (28) for rotatably receiving the flexible vacuum seal (16).
The footpad (10) according to any preceding claim, wherein a plurality of fluid flow ports (32) extend through side (34) and bottom (36) wall portions thereof.
A friction pad insert (38) adapted for use in a footpad (10) according to any preceding claim.