US3000508A

US3000508A - Vacuum cleaner attachment for swimming pool skimmer

Info

Publication number: US3000508A
Application number: US628029A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles A Spaulding; Merle E Oberholtz
Original assignee: Refinite Corp
Current assignee: Refinite Corp
Priority date: 1956-12-13
Filing date: 1956-12-13
Publication date: 1961-09-19
Anticipated expiration: 1978-09-19

Description

Sept. 19, 1961 c. A. SPAULDING ETAL 3,000,508

VACUUM CLEANER ATTACHMENT FOR SWIMMING POOL SKIMMER Filed Dec. 13, 1956 VEN TORS,

449/195 Gbe/"fiO/ I 94.. s

Char/es "Spoofing Patented Sept. 19, 1961 Nebr.

Filed Dec. 13, 1956, Ser. No. 628,029 1 Claim. (Cl. 210-477) This invention relates to the cleaning of swimming pools and more particularly it is an object of this invention to provide a connector attachable to a conventional swimming pool skimmer at its main entrance for more economically placing a vacuum hose in communication with the skimmer.

Heretofore vacuum hoses have been attached at the edge of the pool, not to a connector, and not to the main entrance of the skimmer but to a pipe or secondary line leading not to the skimmer, but to the main filter and pump, as necessitates an extra and costly piping installation, which by-passes the skimmer.

A further objective is to make possible the use of the conventional skimmer to collect leaves and heavy foreign matter which heretofore has collected at the hair catcher and filter whereby there has been a great nuisance from the need for the operator to run back and forth between vacuum cleaning of the pool and the cleaning and unplugging the distant hair catcher or filter.

A further object is to make use of the skimmer, instead of by-passing the skimmer, during vacuum cleaning whereby the operator need not go to a distant filter to remove leaves, but can do so at the skimmer which is conveniently close, and further whereby the operator need not remove leaves as often, because of the larger openings in the skimmer basket as compared with the smaller and more easily clogged openings in the main filter.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, drawings and claim, the scope of the invention not being limited to the drawings themselves as the drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating a way in which the principles of this invention can be applied.

Other embodiments of the invention utilizing the same or equivalent principles may be used and structural changes may be made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention and the purview of the appended claim.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the adapter of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical section through a portion of a swimming pool and of a swimming pool skimmer showing the adapter in operational position attached to a section of a hose.

This invention adds the use of an adapter generally indicated at in FIGURE 1 to the equipment now used in cleaning swimming pools and in substitution for certain parts of the equipment in use heretofore.

The adapter 10, as best seen in FIGURE 1, has an elongated vertically disposed conduit -12 which can be attached at its upper end to an elbow 14 having a short nipple 15 attached to its upper end and extending at a right angle to the elongated conduit 12.

The conduit 12, the elbow 14, and the nipple 15, together form a conduit means to which a hose can be attached by means of a clamp 22, as best seen in FIG- URE 2.

The hose 20 is a hose leading to a wide pickup member not shown. Such hoses are long enough for the easy cleaning of swimming pools and operation called vacuum cleaning.

At its lower end the adapter 10 has a normally horizontally disposed wide cover or sealing member 16 which is suitably secured to the lower end of the conduit 12 and is preferably of a circular shape as seen in top plan view.

The purpose of the sealing member 16 is to seal and close an upper inlet opening 30 of the perforate skimming basket 32 of a conventional automatic swimming pool skimming unit which latter is generally indicated in FIGURE '2 at 36.

The skimming unit 36 has a housing having a lower portion 38 closely surrounding the basket 32 and provided with a bottom having an outlet opening 40 to which suitable fittings 42 are attached to carry water to a pipe 44 leading to a suitable pumping unit.

The housing 36 has an upper portion 48 of larger diameter than the lower portion 38 whereby a shoulder 50 exists between the two. The shoulder 50 can also be called an annular ledge and is preferably called a first annular ledge 50.

A second annular ledge "52 exists and is disposed inwardly and downwardly of the ledge 50 above which the closure or sealing member 16 is disposed for sealing the opening in the housing 36 which is disposed between the portions 38 and 48.

The second annular ledge 52 is formed by the provision of an annular notch 53 of which the second annular ledge 52 forms the bottom surface against which the cover or ceiling member 16 is received.

The sealing member 16 is of a larger size than the opening between the housing portions 38 and 48 and the sealing member 16 overlaps the ledge 52 preferably at all points whereby pumping action effectively draws water through the hose 20 and the conduit 12 into the basket 32 and then out through the pipe 44.

It will -be seen that the conduit 12 has an open lower end and that the sealing member 16 has an opening 60 therethrough for receiving the lower end of the conduit 12.

It will be seen that the skimmer housing lower portion 38 and upper portion 48 together form a collector tank 36 having an open top adjacent the ground surface, the pipe 68 is a branch on the collector tank 36 and the conduit 12 can also be called a pipe 12 serving as a handle and extending substantially to the ground surface.

As best seen in FIGURE 2 the skimmer 36 is normally disposed in the concrete 62 at the edge of a pool 64. Such skimmers normally receive overflow water through a conduit 68 near the top of a pool 64, the conduit 68 being disposed through the upper housing portion 48 and being in communication with the interior thereof.

In installation the adapter is put into the position shown in FIGURE 2 and suitable keepers 70 are pivotally swung out across the upper surface of the ceiling member 16 to hold the member 16 in place.

The keepers 70 are secured by bolts 72 vertically disposed through their outer ends whereby the keepers 70 are pivotally arranged and operate like latches to quickly and effectively hold the sealing member 16 in a position for closing the upper side of the lower housing portion 38 and thereby the upper side of the basket 32.

As thus described it will be seen that this invention has fulfilled the objects hereinabove set forth.

From the foregoing description, it is thought to be obvious that a vacuum cleaner attachment for swimming pool skimmer constructed in accordance with our invention is particularly well adapted for use, by reason of the convenience and facility with which it may be assembled and operated, and it will also be obvious that our 3 invention is susceptible of some change and modification without departing from the principles and spirit thereof, and for this reason we do not wish to be understood as limiting ourselves to the precise arrangement and formation of the several parts herein shown in carrying out our invention in practice, except as claimed.

We claim:

In a filtering and skimming unit comprising: a collector tank having an open top adjacent the ground surface, and a filtering device in said tank, the improvement comprising a removable cover in said tank above said filter, said cover having an aperture therethrough, and a pipe attached to said cover and extending upwardly from said cover, the inner wall of said collector tank having a first inwardly extending annular portion having a generally horizontal first annular ledge on its upper surface and further having a second generally horizontal inwardly extending annular portion disposed below said first inwardly extending portion and having on its upper surface a second generally horizontal annular ledge receiving receiving thereon and supporting said cover, and keepers each having an end pivotally attached to the upper side of said first annular ledge for horizontal swinging move ments of the other end of each keeper, said other end of each keeper being swingable from a storage position above said first ledge, to permit removal of said cover, to a keeping position such that said other end of each keeper is disposed above said cover for preventing said cover from coming upwardly out of place.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,442,787 Scherninger Ian. 16, 1923 2,792,943 Mackintosh May 21, 1957 2,844,255 Cavenah et al. July 22, 1958