US3366977A

US3366977A - Swimming pool cover

Info

Publication number: US3366977A
Application number: US625525A
Authority: US
Inventors: Carl A Koehler
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1967-03-23
Filing date: 1967-03-23
Publication date: 1968-02-06
Anticipated expiration: 1985-02-06

Description

Feb. 6, 1968 Q A. KOEHLER 3,366,977

SWIMMING POOL COVER Filed March 23, 1967 IN VEN TOR.

United States Patent O 3,366,977 SWIMMENG POOL COVER Carl A. Koehler, Fulton, Md. (3564 Bladensburg Road, Brentwood', Md. 20722) Filed Mar. 23, 1967, Ser. No. 625,525 7 Claims. (Cl. 4-172) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention relates to a cover for a swimming pOol for use while the pool is full. A oatable member is secured to the underside of a liquid impervious sheet material which itself is stretched over the pool and anchored at its periphery. The floatable member rests on the surface of the water and is olf sufficient size to raise the central part of the cover to form an arch such that rain water, leaves, etc., do not accumulate on it. The floatable member ideally is inflatable for compact storage When the cover is not in use.

This invention relates to an improved cover structure for swimming pools .and similar large open containers normally filled with liquid.

Privatelyowned swimming pools have become increasingly popul-ar and there has been an accompanying demand for covers to cover the swimming pools when not in use. Swimming pool covers are desirable for a number of reasons. There is the danger that children or animals may a-ccidentally fall into the pool and dro-wn, particularly when the pool is left unattended. Also, undesirable foreign matter such as leaves, dirt, etc. tend to accumulate in the pool with time.

Various devices have been devised for keeping children and animals away from `swimming pools. Frequently, the pool is surrounded by a fence, but this has not been entirely effective, particularly with children who are prone to climb over the fence on occasion.

Various types of covering devices have been devised. These include ya combination of a rigid supporting iframe which is first set in place with the edges resting around the periphery of the swimming pool with a tarpaulin or plastic sheet material laid over the frame. Such an arrangement is not entirely satisfactory, since it is not convenient for everyday use. The rigid yframe member is awkward to handle when putting the frame in place or removing it, it is expensive, and is generally unattractive when not in use and placed at the side of the pool.

Frequently, swimming -pools are simply covered with an impervious sheet material which is anchored about its periphery `at the sides of the pool. The central portion of the cover is unsupported and tends to sag permitting the accumulation of leaves, dirt and rain water. If the cover remains in place for an extended period of time this becomes unattractive 'and it is diflioult to remove the cover when it is desired to use the swimming pool Without yallowing the foreign matter, and particularly the rain water to flow into the pool thus polluting the water. Frequently, a num-ber of floats are first dropped on the surface of the water :before the cover is put in place. The central portion of the cover then rests on top of the floats which reduces the sag of the suspended cover, but there still remain smaller pockets on the cover where foreign matter will accumulate.

Still another swimming pool cover has been devised which when in place makes a tight seal wi-th the surface of the 4water around the periphery of the pool Iand the area under the central portion of the cover is inflated, the air being entrapped between the surface `of the Water and the underside of the cover. The cover tends to take on an arched form such that rain water, leaves, dirt, etc.

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do not accumulate on the cover, but, instead, are deposited around the pool at the periphery of the cover. Two major difficulties with this type of cover are that elaborate measures Iare required to secure the cover in place to insure an airtight seal between the surface of the Water and the cover. Secondly, the cover must be periodically checked, since it is easily deflated, and with time, the cover will deflate due to absorption of air by the water in the pool.

It is therefore -an object of the present invention to provide a pool cover which will not permit unwanted materi-al to accumulate thereon While in place.

Another object is to provide a cover which may be easily removed and replaced in a minimum amount of time.

A still further object of the invention is a pool cover which when not in use may be easily and compactly stored.

A still further object is to provide a swimming pool cover which is arched in position over the pool and will remain arched without the need for periodic attention.

Briefly, the present invention relates to a swimming pool cover comprising a continuous sheet of flexible liquid impervious material which may -be secured at its periphery around the edges of the swimming pool and which has integrally secured to the underside of the cover an inflatable airtight pocket or tubular member of suflicient heighth such that when inflated it will rest on the surface of the Water in the swimming pool and cause the pool cover to become arched sufliciently to shed yforeign matter including rain waiter which may fall on its Surface.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE l is a top plan View of a swimming pool cover embodying the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is 'a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIGURE l; and

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View of -a portion of FIGURE 2 showing in detail the edge of the cover in position and anchored along the edge of the swimming pool.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, a swimming pool is shown incl-uding vertical walls 1 filled with water 2. Along the top of the walls is a curbing 3 which forms the upper margin of the swimming pool.

The pool cover 4 is made from a flexible sheet material which is impervious to liquids. Suitable materials include cott-on duck, tarpaulin material and reinforced plastic sheet material. The marginal portion of the cover 4 extends over the curbing of the swimming pool 3I and terminates in a hemmed portion 5 in which is inserted conveniently a reinforcing rod 6 along each peripheral edge of the cover. Each side of the cover may contain either a single reinforcing rod or a plurality of reinforcing rods appropriately placed in the hemmed portion. Aproximately spaced eyelets 7 are located in the pool cover adjacent the hemmed portion and reinforcing rods through which pass individual ropes 8 which are secured to stakes 9 anchored outside the curbing 3 of the swimming pool.

Secured to the underside of the pool cover 4 and extending along its longitudinal axis is an inflatable member 10 the peripheral edges of which are secured to the pool cover in an airtight manner. The inflatable member must be composed of a flexible material which is water and air impervious. A valve 11 is secured in the pool cover and communicates with the interior of the inflatable member 10, whereby the inflatable member may be inflated by any c-onventional means. Conveniently, the Valve 11 should be designed such that the compressed air may be easily released when it is desired to remove and store the pool cover.

It may be readily observed that upon anchoring the periphery of the pool cover around the edges of the swimming pool and inating the inatable or floatable member the pool cover 4 assumes an arched position extending in all directions which serves to maintain the pool cover taut so that rain water, dirt, leaves, etc. will be shed from the surface of the cover and will be deposited beyond the edges of the cover on the ground.

While a preferred embodiment of this invention has been shown and described by way of illustration, many modifications are possible by those skilled in the art. For instance, the iioatable member 10 could be composed of a solid material having a density less than that of Water though the disadvantage in this would be that storage of the cover when not in use would require more space. The oatable member 10 could comprise an inatable tubular member which is secured along its exterior surface to the underside of the pool cover instead of the peripheral edges of the iioatable member 10 being secured to the cover. Also, the oatable member could be a plurality of such members appropriately spaced and secured to the cover.

It should be understood that it is intended in the appended claims to cover all such modifications as fall Within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

What I claim yis:

1. A cover for a filled swimming pool comprising a continuous sheet of iiexible liquid impervious material having a shape conforming substantially to that of the pool with the central portion thereof covering the surface of the water and peripheral edge thereof extending beyond the sidewalls of said pool, means along said peripheral edge of the sheet for securing said ycover in place over the swimming pool, and at least one floatable member having a density less than that of water integrally secured to and extending below the underside of the sheet to engage the surface of the water, the distance between the lower surface of said oatable member and ther top surface of said sheet being such that when in position said sheet is maintained in an arched position with the peripheral edge at a lower plane than the central portion thereof whereby material falling upon said cover will tend t-o be deposited beyond the peripheral edge thereof.

2. A cover for a filled swimming pool as claimed in claim 1 wherein said oatable member is integrally secured to the underside surface at at least one point spaced from the peripheral edge of said sheet.

3. A cover for a filled swimming pool as claimed in c-laim 2 wherein said iioatable member comprises an inflatable member secured to the sheet, said inflatable member when inflated being of suiiicient heighth to maintain the sheet in an arched position.

4. A cover for a filled swimming pool as claimed in claim 3 wherein said inatable member comprises an air impervious material the peripheral edges of which are secured in an airtight manner to the sheet.

5. A cover for a filled swimming pool as claimed in claim 3 wherein said inliatable member comprises an enclosed tubular member the exterior surface of which is secured to the underside of the sheet.

`6. A cover for a filled swimming pool as claimed in claim 3 wherein said iniiatable member comprises a valve whereby said inflatable member may be deflated.

7. A cover for a filled swimming pool as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for securing said cover in place comprises a hem at the peripheral edge of said cover, said hem containing reinforcing rods and a plurality of eyelets adjacent said reinforcing rods for securing said cover in place over said swimming pool.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,158,161 11/1962 Knodel 4172 3,229,309 1/1966 Knodel 4 172 3,313,443 4/1967 Dial et al. 22018 3,330,118 7/1967 Blais 61-.5 2,211,958 8/1940 Mahaffey 61--0.5 2,580,555 1/1952` Kroeger 4-172 2,732,794 2/19-57 White 135-1 2,808,845 10/1957 Wood 4-172 2,867,346 1/1959 Champagnat 220--18 2,883,676 4/1959 Kwake 4-172 2,964,759 12/1960` Riggs 4-172 3,063,062 11/1962 Logan 4-172 3,072,920 1/1963 Yellott 4-172 3,122,985 3/1964 Osborne 52-246 3,144,665 8/1964 Meyer 4-172 LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

H. K. ART'IS, Assistant Examiner.