US3231902A

US3231902A - Swimming pool

Info

Publication number: US3231902A
Application number: US300324A
Authority: US
Inventors: Joseph M Racina
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1963-08-06
Filing date: 1963-08-06
Publication date: 1966-02-01
Anticipated expiration: 1983-02-01

Description

J. M. RACINA SWIMMING POOL Feb. 1, 1966 Filed Aug. 6. 1963 "INENLOR ATTORNEY.

3,231,902 SWIMMING POL Joseph M. Racina, 73 Grove Ave., Woodbridge', NJ. Filed Aug. 6, 1963, Ser. No. %),324 2 Claims. (Cl. 4-172) This invention relates to swimming pools and, particularly, to swimming pools of relatively simple and inexpensive construction.

At the present time, one of the simplest types of construction of a swimming pool includes a wall frame of wood Ior synthetic materialand a sand bottom or door, over which a liner sheet of waterproof materialis placed to :contain a volume ofvwater for swimming. Generally, the bottom or floor of the pool includes portions .at different elevations with a particularly deep area for use in diving from a diving board. In the past, in pools yof this type after a period of use, the sand floor has shifted under a tendency to fill the deepest areas, and eventually the floor and the walls collapsed and the waterproof liner was torn. The pool was thus rendered unusable.

The objects or" the present invention concern the provision of an improved swimming pool construction in which a multi-level floor of granular material is employed and in which collapse or shifting of the floor is prevented.

Briefly, a swimming pool embodyingl the invention includes a side wall frame and a iioor whi-ch includes por- United VStates Patent O tions of different elevations, including a shallow flat portion and a sloping deeper portion. The door is made up of a granular material such as sand. According to the invention, the sloping portion rof the floor of the pool is divided into a plurality of volumes of sand, each of which is enclosed or surrounded by a rigid frame.` The exposed surface of each volume lof sand is flat, is level withthe enclosing frame, and it is trowled t-o a hard, smooth finish.

Portions yof the Vsurrounding frame are present, particulari ly in areas where an edge of a volume of the door which slopes meets an edge of another volume of the floor at a different level :or where the sloping portion of` the floor meets the side wall or the flat portion of the oor. `With this type of construction, the floor cannot shift and collapse.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partly in section, or" a swimming pool structure embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the structure of FIG. l; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional View along the line 3--3 of 'FIG. 2.

The principles of the present invention are applicable to swimming pools in which the floor is made up :of a porous, granular material such as sand or the like and in which the side walls may be made of substantially any material including poured con-crete, concrete blocks, or the like, or panels of wood or synthetic material or the like suitably secured together.

Referring to the drawing, a swimming pool 10 embodying the invention includes

vertical side walls

20, 21, 22, 23 which, as indicated, may be of any suitable type of material. Generally, the pool 10 is embedded in the ground with its side walls surrounded and enclosed by earth iill.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the door of the pool includes a first at, level, shallo-w portion 30 and a second deeper, sloping portion 34 which is suitable for diving into from a diving board. The sloping portion is shown as an inverted truncated pyramid; however, it may take other forms. The level portion 30 of the floor of the pool 10 merges smoothly with the sloping portion 34.

The present invention is employed where the floor of the pool is made up, not of a solid monolithic -body such as concrete, but of a porous, granular material such as 3,231,902 Patented Feb. l, 1966 sand `or the like. Such a lloor normally tends to shift under use unless precautions, such as those described below,are taken.

According to the invention, the deeper portion 34 of the pool is separated from the shallow, flat portion 30 by means of a transverse horizontal beam or plank 40 which extends acrossthe width of the pool and is secured in any suitable fashion to the opposite walls 21 and 23.Y

Referring to the deep end of the pool, a form for a safety ledge is provided including a rst beam or plank 46 secured at `one end to the transverse beam 40 and at the other end to beam 54. The top of the beam 46 is at the same horizontal level as the top of beam 40. The beam 46 lies parallel to wall 21 with its width parallel to the wall, and it is spaced from the wall 21 by about ten or twelve inches, an amount suitable for use as a safety ledge on which a swimmer may stand. A similar -beam 50 is positioned adjacent to the opposite wall 23 and is secured at its ends to the transverse beam 40 and the beam 54. The safety ledge is completed by a third beam 54 secured between

Iopposed walls

21 and 23 and is parallel' to and spaced from end wall 22. Reinforcing transverse support members v60 are secured between the

beams

46, 50, and 54 and the

adjacent walls

21, 23, and 22, respectively. The spaces between the

beams

46, 50, 54 and the side walls are eventually filled with sand or the like to provide a safe, solid ledge on which a swimmer may stand. The safety ledge thus provided by the Vbeams 46, 50,`and 54 spaced from the walls might also lbe provided by solid pieces of lumber or the like suitably secured to the side walls of the pool.

It is to be noted that the

side walls

21, 22, and 23 extend downwardly below the level of the safety ledge so that, when thepool is completed, the sand which' constitutes the ledge .presses outwardly against the lower portions of the side walls and thus balances the force exerted on the outside of -the pool wall bythe surrounding earth fill.

The

beams

40, 46, 50 and 54 define the larger base of the inverted truncated pyramid which comprises the deep end 34 of the pool 10. The smaller base of the pyramid comprises

planks

67, 68, 69, 70 secured together to form a small box 72. The box 72 is positioned at the region of greatest depth of the pool 10, and it is oriented in a horizontal plane.

The form for the truncated pyramid also includes four slanted connecting

beams lor planks

80, 81, 82, 83 which extend from the four corners of the larger vbase to the four corners of the smaller base, and four other slanted connecting

beams

90, 91, 92, 93, which extend, respectively, from the center of Aeach beam of the larger base to the center of the corresponding plank of the smaller base. As can be seen in FIG. 3, the ends of the slanted-beams are formed to ybear smoothly against the beams they contact, and the upper end of each connecting beam blends smoothly with, and is at the same level as, the top of the beam with which it is in contact. Similarly, lat the lower end of each connecting beam, its top surface is at the same level as the top surface `of the plank of the box 72 with which it is in contact.

{For example, lconsidering the `juncture of sloping beam `93 and the ltransverse beam 40 as shown in FIG. 3, it can 'be seen that the end of the sloping beam is cut to provide a ila-t surface bearing against the transverse beam. In addition, the corner formed -by the tapered end and the .top surface of the beam 93 lies at the same horizontal level as the top surface of the transverse beam 4t); The same construction is employed at the lower end of the sloping beam where the end of the beam bears against the box 72 and the upper corner 104 formed by the end and the top surface lies at the same hor-izontal level as the top surface of the beams of the box. Thus, it can be seen that nowhere is there a slanted volume of sand which has an exposed edge not protected by a beam, which might form a starting point for shifting and from which .the entire volume might collapse under use.

In constructing the pool, the required excavation is made in the ground for the deep and shallow portions of the pool. The side Iwalls are assembled, and the form for .the truncated pyramid is secured thereto and set in place in the ground. Next, sand is poured into the pool to fill the shallow portion to the desired height which is level with the top of the transverse beam. The floor of the shallow portion is packed hard and troweled fiat and smooth. Next, sand is poured into the space between the

beams

46, 50, and 54 and the side walls level with the top of each beam to provide the required safety ledge and to provide a support for the Walls themselves at their lower ends as described above. This sand is also packed hard and smooth. Sand is also poured in'to the box which defines the smaller base 72 of the pyramid and is formed level with the top surface of this smaller base.

Sand is also poured into the spaces defined by the larger and smaller bases and by the sloping connecting beams which extend between them. The deep end of the pool thus includes eight volumes of sand which have a tapered surface and which extend from the larger base to the smaller base. In each volume, the sand is packed hard and level with the top surfaces of the beams which define or enclose the volume. The surface of the sand is worked until it is flat, level with the tops of the enclosing beams, and hard and smooth. Each volume of sand is treated in this way.

Finally, a liner 110 of plastic material, such as a vinyl composition, or the like, is set in place covering the floor and side walls and is suitably secured to the pool walls. The pool is now ready for use without danger of collapse of the fioor or walls.

Of course, the required dirt fill is provided around the Outside of the pool, and concrete walks or the like may be provided as desired.

The principles of the invention have been set forth above. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the mechanical features illustrated need not be employed exactly as described in practising the invention. For example, the form for the deep end of the pool need not be a truncated pyramid but may take some other shape. Other modifications may be made as required.

What is claimed is:

1. A swimming pool construction comprising a wall enclosure,

a floor of granular material,

a first portion of said oor being flat and at a relatively shallow depth,

a second portion of said floor being generally funnelshaped and extending downwardly from the level of said rst portion,

said second portion including a ledge at the same level as said first portion of the floor and extending around the periphery of said second portion adjacent to said wall enclosure,

a transverse beam extending across said floor between said shallow first portion and said second portion, the ends of said transverse beam being secured to opposed side walls of said wall enclosure,

the top surface of said transverse lbeam being level with the surface of the level first portion of said floor,

said ledge including a plurality of interconnected ledge beams spaced from and coextensive with the walls of the pool which surround said ledge,

the top surface or said ledge beams lying at the same level as the top surface of said transverse beam,

a plurality of sloping beams secured to said transverse beam and to said ledge beams and extending downwardly toward the lcenter of said deeper portion of the floor where they are secured in place,

the transverse beam, ledge beams and sloping beams resting on a supporting earth surface and forming therewith a plurality of open end compartments, all of said compartments being filled with said granular material, the upper surface of said granular material being fiat and at the same level as the top surfaces of said beams forming said compartments, and

a tiexible plastic liner sheet being in continuous coextensive contact with the upper surface of said granular material and the top surfaces of said beams and cover-ing the inner surface of said wall enclosure.

2. The pool construction defined in claim 1 wherein the deeper portion of said floor is in the form of a truncated pyramid with said ledge comprising the larger base of the pyramid and said sloping beams terminate at the smaller base of the pyramid, the smaller base of the pyramid being constituted by beams at which the sloping beams terminate.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS `625,258 5/1899 Grow 50-100 X 1,352,429 9/1920 Clarke 61-37 1,963,405 6/1934 Eichelman et al 50-153 2,301,592 11/1942 Teuber 61-37 2,836,832 `6/1958 DeNamur 4-172 2,888,818 6/1959 Leuthesser 50-110 X 3,015,191 1/1962 Lucchesi 4-172 3,020,560 2/1962 Bedick 4-172 3,024,470 3/1962 Baker 4--172 FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner.

JACOB L. NACKENOFF, HENRY C. SUTHERLAND,

Examiners.

Claims

1. A SWIMMING POOL CONSTRUCTION COMPRISING A WALL ENCLOSURE, A FLOOR OF GRANULAR MATERIAL, A FIRST PORTION OF SAID FLOOR BEING FLAT AND AT A RELATIVELY SHALLOW DEPTH, A SECOND PORTION OF SAID FLOOR BEING GENERALLY FUNNELSHAPED AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM THE LEVEL OF SAID FIRST PORTION, SAID SECOND PORTION INCLUDING A LEDGE AT THE SAME LEVEL AS SAID FIRST PORTION OF THE FLOOR AND EXTENDING AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF SAID SECOND PORTION ADJACENT TO SAID WALL ENCLOSURE, A TRANSVERSE BEAM EXTENDING ACROSS SAID FLOOR BETWEEN SAID SHALLOW FIRST PORTION AND SAID SECOND PORTION, THE ENDS OF SAID TRANSVERSE BEAM BEING SECURED TO OPPOSED SIDE WALLS OF SAID WALL ENCLOSURE, THE TOP SURFACE OF SAID TRANSVERSE BEAM BEING LEVEL WITH THE SURFACE OF THE LEVEL FIRST PORTION OF SAID FLOOR, SAID LEDGE INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF INTERCONNECTED LEDGE BEAMS SPACED FROM AND COEXTENSIVE WITH THE WALLS OF THE POOL WHICH SURROUND SAID LEDGE, THE TOP SURFACE OF SAID LEDGE BEAMS LYING AT THE SAME LEVEL AS THE TOP SURFACE OF SAID TRANSVERSE BEAM, A PLURALITY OF SLOPING BEAMS SECURED TO SAID TRANSVERSE BEAM AND TO SAID LEDGE BEAMS AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY TOWARD THE CENTER OF SAID DEEPER PORTION OF THE FLOOR WHERE THEY ARE SECURED IN PLACE, THE TRANSVERSE BEAM, LEDGE BEAMS AND SLOPING BEAMS RESTING ON A SUPPORTING EARTH SURFACE AND FORMING THEREWITH A PLURALITY OF OPEN END COMPARTMENTS, ALL OF SAID COMPARTMENTS BEING FILLED WITH SAID GRANULAR MATERIAL, THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID GRANULAR MATERIAL BEING FLAT AND AT THE SAME LEVEL AS THE TOP SURFACES OF SAID BEAMS FORMING SAID COMPARTMENTS, AND A FLEXIBLE PLASTIC LINER SHEET BEING IN CONTINUOUS COEXTENSIVE CONTACT WITH THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID GRANULAR MATERIAL AND THE TOP SURFACES OF SAID BEAMS AND COVERING THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID WALL ENCLOSURE.