US3078998A - Swimming pool cleaner and filter - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 26, 1963 c. M. BLUMENFQLD 3,078,998

SWIMMING POOL CLEANER AND FILTER 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 6, 1959 1963 c. M. BLUMENFELD I 3,0 8

SWIMMING PQQL CLEANER AND FILTER 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV- 6. 1959 FIG;

INVENTOR. BLUMENFELD ATTO/P/VEVS M S M w Feb. 26, 1963 c. M- BLUMENFELD 3,078,998

SWIMMING POOL CLEANER AND FILTER Filed Nov. 6. 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 fizz z Feb. 26, 1963 Filed NOV. 6, 1959 C. M- BLUMENFELD SWIMMING POOL CLEANER AND FILTER 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 52 f, 86 68 66 74 4o 82 I 8O 42 i 69 39 78 72 7o 4 I 41 69 g 45 -48 -44 k I i 1 A36 fl 38 G r .5OM

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CHARLES M BL UMENFELD A T TORNE VS United States Fatah t 3,673,998 SWEWMING PGOL CLEANER AND FILTER Charles M. Blumenfeld, 4790 Parkridge Road, Sacramento, Calif. Filed Nov. 6, 1959, Ser. No. 351,427 3 Claims. or. 219-169) ,The present method involves the use of a manually operated suction head to pick up sediment on the bottom of the pool. This method is effective, but it requires one or two men several hours to do a thorough job on the average size residential swimming pool. Since theclean- .ing operation must be done approximately once a week,

it is an appreciable expense in pool maintenance.

The invention described and claimed in my copending application provides an automatic cleaning device for removing sediment from swimming pools without requiring supervision of an operator. The device of that invention can be set to start the cleaning operation, and left for any length of time required to complete the job. Thus, one man can set a plurality of the devices in pools located considerable distances apart and leave the devices running without any supervision. The same man can later pick up the devices after the pools are clean. In this way, a one-man crew can service many pools almost simultaneously, which is not possible with the presently available techniques.

Briefly, the swimming pool cleaning apparatus of my copending application includes a water filtering system, and a movable elongated conduit which is free at one end and disposed over the surface of the pool. The other end of the conduit is connected to a source of water under pressure, and means are provided for disposing the free end of the conduit, or the free end of a hose connected to the conduit, adjacent the swimming pool bottom so that sediment on the bottom of the pool is stirred up as water flows out the free end of the hose or conduit. Means are provided responsive to water flowing through the conduit for sweeping the conduit gently back and forth over the surface of the pool so that all parts of the pool are covered. The apparatus also includes means for circulating the water with stirred up sediment through the filtering system as water flows through the conduit.

The foregoing system is effective in automatically cleanin swimming pools, but is subject to some interference from leaves settled onthe bottom of the pool. When the sediment and water fiow through the drain in the bottom of the pool en route to the main filter, the leaves accumulate over the drain, either reducing or stopping the flow of water. Removal of the leaves is awkward and time-consuming because the drain is usually located on the main center line of the pool and of course is in the deepest part of the pool. Even if the leaves slip past the drain they eventually are caught by the main filter for the pool, often after first passing through the main filter pump. Thus, the leaves quickly block the filter and may even cause damage to the pump. This undesirable condition is not readily detectable, and is a nuisance to correct, particularly with present standard swimming pool filters which are difiicult to open and clean.

This invention solves the leaf problem by using a suctio'n line with an intake end adjacent and adapted to move with the discharge end of the conduit or hose.

secondary filter following the strainer.

systems.

2 The other end of the suction line is connected to an an iliary filter with a coarse strainer, which stops leaves and other objects of similar shape, but permits free pas sage of water and sediment. The auxiliary filter is located and constructed for easy access to the strainer. Preferably, at least a portion of the filter is transparent to permit visual inspection of the condition of the strainer. Leaves on the strainer are thus easily detected, and are easily removed by opening the filter. Thus, leaves are trapped where they are easily removed, and they do not find their way into the main filter pump or the main filter for the swimming pool.

The preferred form of the invention also includes 'a This arrangement supplements the action of the regular pool filter, or can be used in pools not equipped with recirculating filter In effect, this preferred embodiment is a recirculating filter system with an intake moving about to all parts of the pool.

These and other aspects of the invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan View of the cleaning device mounted on the bank of a swimming pool;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-4. of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged plan view of the presently preferred embodiment of the cleaning device shown adapted to be used as a self-contained recirculating filter system;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. Sis an elevational view of a modification of the cleaning device shown in FIG. 4;

' FIG. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation of a nozzle and suction line used in the invention; and

FIG. 7 is a view taken on line 77 of FIG. 6.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the cleaning apparatus it of this invention is mounted on the side bank 11 of a swimming pool 12, which includes the usual diving board 13, ladders 14, and sump drain 15. The sump drain is connected through a sump pipe 16 and 3-way valve 16A to the inlet of a main filter pump 17, which has its outlet connected by a pipe 18 to the inlet of a convention-sl main filter 20. The outlet of the filter 29 is connected by a pipe 21 through a first valve 22 to a clean water discharge 2d at the deep end of the pool. A pipe line 25, which terminates at a point X is connected through a second valve 26 to line 21 between the first valve and the filter pump. A pipe line 25A, which terminates at a point Y is connected to the main filter pump inlet through the 3-way 'valve. As shown in FIG. 2, the swimming pool is filled with water 27.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the cleaning apparatus includes a cart 23 made up of a horizontal and rectangular frame 3% at one end of which is mounted a pair of wheels 3'2. An upwardly extending handle 34 is rigidly attached to the end of the cart on which the wheels are mounted, and a separate downwardly extending leg 36 is mounted at each of the corners at the other end of the frame 39 to provide a level support when the cart is positioned as shown in FIG. 4. The handle 34 is reinforced by a separate diagonal brace 37 connected at one end to the handle and its other end to an intermediate portion of the frame edge. The cart is readily portable by simply tilting the frame about the axis of the wheels to lift the legs off the ground.

A horizontal base plate 3.3 is rigidly attached to the frame and supports an electric motor 39, an auxiliary water jetting pump 4-9 having an inlet 41 and an outlet 42, and a gear box 44. The electric motor drives the water pump through a shaft 46, and also drives a horizontal input shaft as of the gear box.

The pump inlet is connected to one end of a flexible 7) so the larger portion of the scoop opens nozzle. A central intake 12% in the scoop enough to prevent the passage of leaves, but offer little impedance to the flow of water or ordinary sediment. A.

cover 596 is secured to the case over the chamber and held in place by wing nuts Sill-l. An O-ring Sill in an annular groove 55;] in the upper edge of the case makes a fluid-tight seal between the cover and case. A downwardly extending annular skirt Sill; formed integrally with the cover, holds the strainer in place. An inlet 56L in the center of the cover is connected toan elongated and flexible suction line StlM, described in detail below. Preferably, the filter case and cover are made of a transparent material such as Lucite plastic to permit easy visual inspection of the condition of the strainer.

Power is supplied to the electric motor through electric lead 51. A 90 swivel joint 52 is connected to the pump outlet The swivel joint is of conventional make, such as that supplied by the Barco Manufacturing Company, and is free to rotate 360 about a vertical axis (as viewed in FIG. The discharge end of the swivel joint is connected to the inlet end of an elongated horizontal hollow support arm or conduit 54-, which includes a relatively small diameter section 55 connected directly to the swivel joint, and a larger diameter section 56 which makes a sliding fit over the smaller section. Assho-wn most clearly in PEG. 3, the outer end of the smaller diameter section includes an enlarged annular boss 58 which makes a sliding seal inside the inner end of the larger diameter section of the support arm. An annular O-ring so around the boss seals the annular space between the boss and the interior of the larger section of the support arm. A collar 62 on the inner end of the larger section of the support arm makes a sliding fit around the intermediate portion of the smaller section. A downwardly extending pin 64 is rigidly attached at its upper end to the collar 62, and has its lower end disposed in a curved groove 65 formed in the upper surface of a horizontal guide plate 65 supported by vertical posts 69 welded to the frame of the cart. A horizontal circular rotatable table 76 is attached to the upper end of a vertical output shaft 72 of the gear box 4-4 under the guide plate, and is adapted to rotate in a clockwise direction as shown in FIG. 3. A vertical drive pin 74 is attached at its lower end to the rotary table, and extends up through a first longitudinal slot 7 ti formed in one end of an elongated lever arm '7? attached at that end by a pivot 39 to the frame of the cart. A vertical bolt 82 is disposed through a second longitudinal slot S4 at the other end of the lever arm, and is threaded into a nut 86 welded to the underside of the smaller section of the support arm. As shown most clearly in FIG. 2, the outer end of the support arm is bent at a 90 angle to extend vertically down through an annular buoy 88 secured to the downwardly extending part of the support arm at water level. The lower end of the support arm extends a substantial distance below the buoy into the water to provide additional stability for the arm. The upper end of a flexible hose 9% is attached to the end of the support arm below the buoy, and a nozzle 122 is attached through a swivel 93 to the free end of the hose. A generally concave and flat bottom scoop 124 is spaced from and attached to the nozzle and swivel by three elongated rods 126 (see FIG. toward the is connected through a swivel 13% to the lower end of the suction line StlM, which has about twice the ID. of hose 9%.

As shown in PEG. 2, the suction line SllM jumps over the space between the nozzle and the scoop, and is secured by clamps 131 to the hose d9, passes through the buoy 38, and is secured by clamps 131 to the underside of the large diameter section 55 of the conduit to the point shown in FIG. 4. As previously stated, the upper end of the suction line 515M is connected to the auxiliary filter inlet, enough slack being provided so as not to interfere with the oscillation of the conduit.

In the operation of the system arranged as shown in FIG. 4, and for pools having a main filter pump and filter as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the 3-way valve is set as shown in FIG. 1, and the main filter pump is turned on so that it picks up water from the drain 15. Valve 22 is open and valve 26 is closed so that water is circulated through the main filter and out the discharge line 24-.

The auxiliary motor 39 on the cart is also turned on so that water jets from the nozzle. and lifts sediment ofi the pool bottom and directs it toward the scoop. Water, stirred up sediment, and any leaves in the path of the jet are drawn in the suction line 50M and passed through the filter 5013. Water jetting out of the nozzle causes it to trace a random path over the bottom of the pool as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1.

The motor 39 on the cart also actuates the gear box so the rotary table is turned in a clockwise direction as shown in FIG. 3. The drive pin 74 on the rotary table travels in the first longitudinal slot 76 of the lever arm 73, causing the lever arm to oscillate back and forth through an angle of about The movement of the unpivoted end of the lever arm causes the bolt 32 on the smaller section of the support arm to travel longitudinally in the second slot 84 of the lever arm and in turn oscillates the support arm about the swivel joint 52 through an angle of about 90". This movement of the support arm causes the traveling pin 64 on the collar of the larger section of the support arm to travel in groove 66 of the horizontal guide plate. As the support arm swings from the extreme left position shown in FIG. 3 to the extreme right position shown in dotted lines of FIG. 3, the length of the support arm is telescopcd to a minimum when the support arm is over the center of the pool, and extended to a maximum when the arm is in either of the extreme right or left positions. Thus, the outer end of the support arm traces a substantially rectilinear path for the length of the pool insuring uniform coverage of the pool by the nozzle.

The arrangement shown in FIG. 4 provides for efficient removal of sediment and leaves, because the water passed through the auxiliary filter is selected from the immediate vicinity of the nozzle Where turbidity due to sediment is at a maximum. The operation of the main filter pump aids in further clarification of the water in the pool by filtering stirred up sediment which may be missed by the scoop. However, the scoop is effective in picking up most of the sediment and practically all of the leaves so that drain 15 does not become clogged. Instead, the leaves are caught on the strainer in the filter 503 located on the side of the pool adjacent the cart. In addition, the jet and scoop remove any occasional leaf which may find its way to the drain. Any time the flow of water through the auxiliary pump becomes impeded by the accumulation of leaves on the strainer, it is a simple matter to open the case of the filter and remove the leaves. The transparent property of the filter case facilitates inspection of the condition of the strainer. Of course, if the resin filter cartridge becomes plugged with sediment, it is easily replaced or backwashed. With the self-contained system of FIG. 4, swimming pools can be cleaned even though they do not have their own main filter pump and filter system.

An alternative way of operating the apparatus of FIG. 4 is shown schematically in FIGS. 1 and 2. The intake hose 50 on the auxiliary pump 40 is disconnemed from the inlet 50A of the filter 59B and placed in the water as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The filter outlet 5%A is connected to line 25A at point Y, and the 3-way valve 16A is turned clockwise 90 from the position shown in FIG. 1 so that water is drawn into the suction line by the main filter pump 17, passed through filter 20, valve 22 and out discharge line 24. The auxiliary pump is turned on as before, and water is drawn into intake line 50 and discharged out nozzle 122, the operation of the apparatus being as previously described, except that the water from the auxiliary filter 50B is passed through the main filter and returned to the deep end of the pool by discharge line 24. With this arrangement, relatively clean and filtered Water is not recirculated back to the zone of maximum turbidity. Leaves do not clog the drain because all water is drawn in scoop 124.

If desired, the electric motor on the cart shown in FIG. 4 can be replaced by a water turbine 160 as shown in FIG. 5, and the auxiliary pump replaced by a stand pipe 192 having an inlet 104 connected to pipe 25 at point X (see FIG. 1). First valve 22 is closed and the second valve 26 is open. A primary outlet 11d of the stand pipe is connected to the swivel joint 52. and a secondary out let 112 of the stand pipe is connected to an inlet 114 of the water turbine. Water is discharged from the turbine through an outlet 116. The water turbine has a drive shaft 118 which powers the input shaft 48 of the gear box 44. The remaining elements of the cleaning device are identical to those described with respect to FIG. 4, except that the outlet 50A of the auxiliary filter 59B is connected to pipe 25A at point Y (see FIG. 1). The 3-way valve 16A is rotated clockwise 90 from the position shown in FIG. 1, and valve 22 is closed and valve 26 is opened so that when the main filter pump 24} is turned on water is pumped into inlet 104 of the stand pipe causing turbine 100 to drive the oscillator and supplying water to nozzle 122. Stirred up sediment and leaves are drawn into the scoop through section line 50M, circulated through the auxiliary filter 50B, where leaves are removed, and then passed through the main filtering system back to point X.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for cleaning sediment out of a pool of liquid, the apparatus comprising a movable buoyant support adapted to float in the pool, an elongated laterally movable conduit disposed over the surface of the pool and carried by the buoyant support, an elongated and downwardly extending hose disposed so a discharge end of the hose is in the vicinity of the bottom of the pool, the

hose being flexible for a substantial portion of its length in the water, means connecting the other end of the hose to the conduit, means for supplying liquid under pressure to the conduit of the hose so that liquid flows from the discharge end of the hose, a nozzle, a first swivel conmeeting the discharge end of the hose to the nozzle, means for moving the conduit laterally over the pool as water flows through the conduit so that the discharge end of the hose is moved over the bottom of the pool and so that sediment in the pool is stirred up by water flowing out of the hose, a suction line for removing from the pool liquid with stirred up sediment, one end of the line being disposed adjacent the discharge end of the hose, a scoop spaced from the nozzle and opening toward the nozzle, a second swivel connecting the said one end of the suction line to the scoop, means connecting the scoop to the nozzle so they move together, and means cooperating with the pool bottom and swivels for orienting the nozzlescoop assembly so t e nozzle discharge is directed downwardly toward the pool bottom and toward the scoop at an angle to the axis of the scoop, a filter having an inlet and outlet, means connecting the other end of the suction line to the filter inlet, and means for circulating water from the said one end of the line through the suction line and filter.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the filter includes a housing with an inlet and an outlet, and a strainer in the housing between the inlet and outlet, at least a portion of the housing being transparent so the strainer is visible from the housing exterior.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the filter includes a housing with an inlet and an outlet, a relatively coarse strainer in the housing between the inlet and outlet, and a finer filter element in the housing between the strainer and the outlet.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

Claims (1)

1. APPARATUS FOR CLEANING SEDIMENT OUT OF A POOL OF LIQUID, THE APPARATUS COMPRISING A MOVABLE BUOYANT SUPPORT ADAPTED TO FLOAT IN THE POOL, AN ELONGATED LATERALLY MOVABLE CONDUIT DISPOSED OVER THE SURFACE OF THE POOL AND CARRIED BY THE BUOYANT SUPPORT, AN ELONGATED AND DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING HOSE DISPOSED SO A DISCHARGE END OF THE HOSE IS IN THE VICINITY OF THE BOTTOM OF THE POOL, THE HOSE BEING FLEXIBLE FOR A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF ITS LENGTH IN THE WATER, MEANS CONNECTING THE OTHER END OF THE HOSE TO THE CONDUIT, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING LIQUID UNDER PRESSURE TO THE CONDUIT OF THE HOSE SO THAT LIQUID FLOWS FROM THE DISCHARGE END OF THE HOSE, A NOZZLE, A FIRST SWIVEL CONNECTING THE DISCHARGE END OF THE HOSE TO THE NOZZLE, MEANS FOR MOVING THE CONDUIT LATERALLY OVER THE POOL AS WATER FLOWS THROUGH THE CONDUIT SO THAT THE DISCHARGE END OF THE HOSE IS MOVED OVER THE BOTTOM OF THE POOL AND SO THAT SEDIMENT IN THE POOL IS STIRRED UP BY WATER FLOWING OUT OF THE HOSE, A SUCTION LINE FOR REMOVING FROM THE POOL LIQUID WITH STIRRED UP SEDIMENT, ONE END OF THE LINE BEING DISPOSED ADJACENT THE DISCHARGE END OF THE HOSE,

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