US2858915A

US2858915A - Diving tower

Info

Publication number: US2858915A
Application number: US472019A
Authority: US
Inventors: James A Patterson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1954-11-30
Filing date: 1954-11-30
Publication date: 1958-11-04
Anticipated expiration: 1975-11-04

Description

Nav. 4, 1958 J. A. PATTERSON I 2,858,915

DIVING TOWER Filed NOV. 30, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I N VENTOR /HMES PME/PMM ATTORNEY Nv. 4, `1958 l A J A. PATTERSON 2,858,915

DIVING TOWER Filed Nov. 30, 1954 2 Sheets-Shea?l 2 INVENTOR" United AStates Patent DIVING TOWER James A. Patterson, Columbus, Ohio Application November 30, 1954, Serial No. 472,019

6 Claims. (Cl. 189-1) This invention relates to a diving tower and more particularly to a diving tower which can be mounted at a swimming pool after the concrete walkways for the swimming pool have been poured and have set.

Of the present diving towers now used in swimming pools, approximately 90 percent are of the pole or open frame type construction whereas the other percent are the concrete cantilever type towers. In'both types, the tower is generally erected at the swimming pool site before the concrete walkways are laid. This, of course,l

has the disadvantage of making the time for pouring the walkways contingent upon the completion of ,the construcwalkways surrounding the pool have been poured.

Broadly, the diving tower consists of a foundation which is embedded in the concrete and a superstructure which is attachable to the embedded foundation. The superstructure consists essentially of two sheet steel members separated by steps and a fr-ont piece. l

It is an object of the invention to provide a diving tower which is light in weight and easy to assembly and yet substantially as rugged in construction as the concrete cantilever tower.

lt is a further object of the invention to provide a diving tower which can be installed after the concrete walkways have been poured.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a diving tower which has the advantages of beauty and performance of the concrete cantilever tower while elimi-` nating the disadvantages of the heavy expensive construction.

These and other objects will become more readily apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the diving tower,

Fig. 2 is a front view thereof,

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 3 3 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 4 4 of Fig. 3.

The superstructure of the diving tower consists of two sheet steel members 10 separated by a strip of sheet steel 12 having a portion 14 along the top of the tower and a curved portion 16 enclosing the front of the tower. The rear of the tower is enclosed lby another piece of sheet steel 1S which has been bent to form steps 20 with ICC the risers 22. The members 18 and 12 may be formed separately or can be formed from a single strip of sheet steel. These members serve the Very important function of structurally bracing the side members 10 and maintaining the side members 10 at the desired spaced relationship.

The superstructure is provided with hand railings 24 which are fastened to the side members 10 at locations indicated at 26. The means for fastening the rails to the superstructure can be brackets, bolts, rivets, welding, or any other suitable arrangement.

A diving board 28 is fastened at its rear end l30 by bolting to a Z-shaped member 32. The diving board is supported on a fulcrum 34 which is mounted between supports 36.

To the base of the superstructure are mounted angle irons 40. The angle irons 40 are secured to the side members 10 and strips 12 and 18 by welding or other suitable means. The base leg of the angle irons 42 are adapted to cooperate with the foundation structure (to be described below) so that the diving tower can be fastened to the foundation structure after the foundation structure has been embedded in concrete.

The foundation structure is embedded in concrete 44 and consists of a pair of I beams 46 to which a box-like structure 48 is mounted. v i It will be observed from the drawings that the forward portion of the I beams 46 is considerably longer than the rearward portion so as to provide greater support for the weight of the tower which is concentrated forward of the base.

Also adding to the support of the tower are transverse reinforcing rods 50 and longitudinal reinforcing rods 52. These rods are threaded through holes formed in the boxlike structure 48.

The member 48 may be formed of four channel irons 54 joined at their ends by welding or in any other suitable manner.

Each channel iron 54 has an upper leg 56 which is adapted to cooperate with the base leg 42 of angle irons 40 for fastening the superstructure to the foundation structure. As shown in the drawings, this fastening arrangement is by bolting the two parts of the tower t0- gether. The channel members have base legs 58 which are rigidly mounted to the I beams 46 by welding or riveting or any other suitable manner.

In constructing this diving tower, the foundation structure will be embedded in the concrete when it is originally poured. The upper leg 56 of the channel members will be exposed after the concrete has been poured and has set. When the pool contractor is ready to install his tower (which is one of the last operations in the construction of the pool), the tower is shipped in assembled condition except for the hand rails and diving board. The diving tower is then mounted to the foundation structure lby fastening the base legs 42 on the superstructure to the top legs 56 of the foundation structure by bolting, riveting or welding.

In a general manner while there has been disclosed in the above description what is deemed to be the most practical and eflicient embodiment of the invention, it should be well understood that the invention is not limited to such embodiment as there might be changes made in the arrangement, disposition and form of the parts without departing from the principle of the present invention as comprehended within the scope of the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. A cantilever diving tower construction to be supported only at its base, comprising two planar sheet metal side members of inverted L-shape formed by a generally vertical leg, and a horizontal leg at the top thereof, steps extending approximately vertically from the base of said vertical legs to the top thereof and joined to said vertical legs to form a spacer and a structural' brace for said sidel members, and sheet metal joined to saidV side members: and extending along the upper surface of said horizontal leg around the end of said leg, along the undersurface of. said leg and' down the vertical leg to the bottom thereof to further brace said side members, whereby said4 tower is a unitary structure completely enclosediabove the'base thereof.

2.. A divingV tower according to claim 1 in which said steps are formed fromy a single piece of sheet metal.

3. A diving tower construction erected at a swimming pool. having concrete walkways comprising, al box-like base4 member being rectangular in horizontal section anchor. means secured to said base member for maintaining said base member horizontal, said anchor means andbasemember being imbedded in said walkways with only they upper surface of sai-d base member being exposed and accessible from the surface of said walkways, a metal diving. tower having sheet metal sides forming a forwardly, projecting support for a diving board, a forward wall, top platform and rear steps, said sides, forward wall and steps. terminating at the lower extremities thereof in a rectangular base matching said base member, and means securely fixing said tower base to said base member.

4.. A diving tower construction according to claim 3, and reinforcing rods passing through said box-like member in longitudinal and transverse directions and embedded in saidy concrete.

5.. A diving tower construction erected at a swimming pool having concrete walkways comprising, a box-like base member being rectangular in horizontal section anchor means secured to said base member for maintainingl said base member horizontal, said anchor means and base member'being imbedded in said walkways with only the upper surface of said base member being exposed and `accessible from the surface of said walkways, a metal diving tower having two parallel sheet metal members of inverted generally L-shape forming the side supports thereof, a sheet metal member forming steps xed between said members at one end` thereof andl bracing said side supports against lateral stress, said steps spacing said sides a distance approximately equal to the width of said box-like member, and means securely fixing the lower extremities of said side supports and said steps to said base member.

6. A diving tower constructionv erected at a swimming pool having concrete'- walkways comprising, a box-like base member being rectangular in horizontal section anchor means secured to said base member for maintaining said base member horizontal, said anchor means and base member being imbedded in said walkways with only the upper surface of said base member being exposed and accessible from the surface of said walkways, a metal diving tower having two parallel sheet metal members of inverted generally L-shape forming the side supports thereof, and a sheet metal member forming steps fixed between said'members at one end thereof, said steps spacingssaidsides a distance approximately equal to the width of said box-like member and bracing said side supports against Ilateral stress, a strip of sheet metal covering the top and other end of said sheet metal members, and means securing said sheet metal members to the upper surface of said base member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 160,871 Larkin Nov. 14, 1950 D. 178,691 Patterson Sept. 4, 1956 608,861 Horton Aug. 9, 1898 724,790 Bois Apr. 7, 1903 1,113,368 Nesdall- Oct. 13, 1914 1,479,180 Hill et al lan. 1, 1924 1,921,664 Finigan Aug. 8, 1933 2,106,068 Sirch Jan. 18, 1938 2,346,003 Bishop Apr. 4, 1944 2,448,264 Jung Aug. 31, 1948 2,490,272 Kascle Dec. 6, 1949 2,695,689 Peterson Nov. 30, 1954