WO2004085769A1

WO2004085769A1 - Hot tub assembely

Info

Publication number: WO2004085769A1
Application number: PCT/US2004/008754
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jonathan J. Bonelli; Matt Cowdell; Mitchell Saccoccio
Original assignee: Stealth Industries, Ltd.
Priority date: 2003-03-21
Filing date: 2004-03-22
Publication date: 2004-10-07
Also published as: US20040181867A1

Abstract

A cover for a spa is configured to have an outer bag (20) blended with a body of foam (26) integrated with a reinforcing frame (12) and an impact-resistant layer (22) of material starched over the reinforcing frame (12) and embedded in the body of foam (26).

Description

HOT TUB ASSEMBELY

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to liquid containing reservoirs, and particularly, to insulated covers or lids configured to close a recreational hot spa, hot tub or pool.

2. Background of the Related Prior Art

Covers or lids cover majority of pools, hot tubs or spa during nonuse. Among multiple reasons necessitating the use of covers, the safety of the spa users and the efficient water use are dominant issues requiring particular consideration.

The safety of the spa users during the spa's nonuse is directed to the structural strength of the cover. The ability of the spa cover to withstand substantial loads usually associated with children and adults, who treat the cover as a playground, may prevent an unfortunate accident. To reinforce a spa cover, which is usually made from Styrofoam, the cover's structure includes an open-cell foam laminated with a layer of fiberglass.

While the reinforced cover exhibits satisfactory load-carrying characteristics, it may have a few disadvantages. On one hand, the price of the reinforced cover escalates with strength and durability. Hover, the major disadvantage of the known reinforced covers is their progressively increasing weight as a result of water absorption. The weight of the cover may double and triple within a few years. Accordingly, multiple cover lift mechanisms, associated with a cumbersome and expensive structure, have been developed fir assisting in the installation and removal of spa covers. Concomitantly, as the reinforced cover gains the weight, the rate of water absorption increases as well. Therefore, a frequent water supply associated with increased power consumption necessary to warm water up to the desired temperature and to maintain this temperature render the use of the space inefficient.

Hence, a need exists for a water-tank, such as a spa or hot tub, having a load- resistant cover, which provides good thermal insulation without a dramatic gain in weight over time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to providing such a cover, particularly a spa cover, by having a reinforcing metallic element, an inner impact-absorbing layer of material and. an outer water-repellent layer of material integrated in a foam structure. One of the advantages of the inventive structure is the increased strength contributed by the metallic element, which is preferably a frame made from aluminum. The use of a closed-cell foam covered by a water-repellent layer of material effectively minimizes the water absorption problem. The resulting structure is light, durable and cost efficient.

The inventive spa cover is manufactured in accordance with ah inventive method providing for cost-effective manufacturing of the covers. In particular, the method allows for rapid blending of reinforcing elements, foam pellets and inner and outer skins to produce a cover having the desired size and shape.

It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a cover configured to improve the safety of the users of recreational and therapeutic water reservoirs as well as to improve the water and air impermeability and to decrease evaporative losses of the body of water stored in water reservoirs.

Another object of the invention is to provide the inventive cover with a reinforcing structure configured to support substantial loads while easily blending with multiple structural components of the cover to allow for a light, difficult to crack covering structure.

A further object of the invention is to provide a multi-component structure configured to form the cover characterized by the improved resistance to water absorption.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cost-efficient method for producing the inventive cover.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages will be come more readily from the description of the preferred inventive embodiment illustrated by the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a partially broken perspective view of the inventive cover;

FIG. 2 is a cross section of the inventive cover; and

FIG. 3 is one of possible configurations of the reinforcing structure of the inventive cover.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERED EMBODIMENT

Inventive cover 10, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, is configured to provide the increased resistance to loads directed transversely to the top of the cover and the improved water impermeability while creating the environment conducive to substantially retaining heat within the body of water. An inner frame 12 is embedded within a body 26 made of pellets which are heat and pressure processed to form foam. The inner frame 12 may include a pair of longitudinal beams 14 bridged by cross beams 16 all preferably made from aluminum. Other configurations of the frame 12 can be easily implemented within the scope of the invention provided such a modified configuration will be stress resistant. Depending on shape and size of a spa, additional beams 16 may be provided on and extend transversely to the longitudinal beams 14 to create the cover 10 having thus multiple points of support. Generally, the cover 10 may include one or more parts and have different shapes including, for example, a flat structure or a dome-shaped structure with a thickened central region tapering toward its periphery to allow the rain or washing water to escape.

The inventive structure of spa cover 10 is manufactured in accordance with the following sequence. After the frame 12 has been formed, an inner skin 22 made from mesh material is stretched over the top or bottom of the frame 12. Although, as shown in FIG. 2, the inner skin 22 includes polymeric material, such as nylon, a wire mesh made from aluminum or steel can be successfully used in the inventive method and structure. The use of the inner skin 22 is advantageous for substantially uniform distribution of excessive loads impacted upon the cover 10 over its entire structure, hi practical terms, the inner skin 22 prevents the cover 10 from cracking. As the foam body 26 crushes in response to an impact generated by a crushing force, the inner skin 22 redirects the peak of the crashing force over a larger area of the cover 10. The larger the area, the less destructive the impact.

Having placed the frame 12, the inner skin 22 and the pellets into the bag 20, the entire assembly is placed in a mold for heat and pressure treatment. • As the temperature rises, the pellets located all around the frame 12 blend therewith and expand as much as the size of the stretched bag 20 would allow it. The process lasts for the predetermined period of time sufficient to allow the mass of pellets to form the foam body 26 blending with the frame 12 and expanding the bag 20, made from reinforced PVC, to the desired size. As a result, the cover 10 has a rigid, light structure of the predetermined size and shape. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the beams 14 and 16 each may have at least one opening 24. Since the beams preferably have an I shape, the pellets filling the space between the sides of each beam above and below a cross portion 30 as well as the space defined between the adjacent longitudinal 14 and cross 16 beams, expand through the openings 24 to uniformly integrate or blend with the frame 12. Advantageously, the beams 14 each have an increased thickness in the central cross portion 30 varying within a 4-6mm range.

Materials used in the present invention are not limited to the above-disclosed materials. For example, the pellets constituting the foam body 26 may be made from polypropylene, polyethylene, or PNC, whereas the frame 12 can include plywood or rigid plastic materials capable of withstanding elevated temperatures prevailing in the mold.

Material used for forming the bag 20 can include vinyl and other suitable materials.

Similarly, the shapes of the structural components can be different from those disclosed. For instance, instead of I-beams, any polygonal or annular cross-section of a hollow beam allowing the pellets to fill the interior of the beams can be used as well.

A variety of further modifications and improvements of the inventive cover can be envisioned to one of ordinary skills. Therefore, the invention is limited only to the claims appended hereto.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A cover for a reservoir adapted to store water at elevated temperatures, comprising a body of foam and a frame embedded in the body to reinforce the closure.

2. The cover of claim 1 , wherein the frame includes at least a pair of longitudinal hollow beams and at least one hollow cross beam extending between and coupled to the longitudinal hollow beams to define multiple pockets within the body of foam between the hollow beams.

3. The cover of claim 2, wherein the hollow beams are made from aluminum and each having a polygonal or annular shape extending through the body of foam.

4. The cover of claim 2, wherein the hollow beams are made from aluminum and each having an I cross-section configured to have a pair of longitudinal sides and a cross portion having a thickness varying within 4-6mm range.

5. The cover of claim 2, further comprising at least one impact-resistant layer made from mesh material stretched over and coupled to the hollow beams of the frame and blended with the body of foam to prevent concentration of force produced by an external impact upon the cover and to minimize the risk of forming a crack in the cover.

6. The cover of claim 5, wherein the body of foam is made from polymeric material adapted to expand at elevated temperatures to form a rigid mass of foam, the hollow beams each having at least one opening configured to allow .the expanding polymeric material to flow there through to provide the cover with an integrated structure.

7. The cover of claim 6, wherein the body of foam is made from material selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, polyethylene, or PNC.

8. The cover of claim 6, wherein the impact-resistant layer is made from a woven mesh material selected from metal wire, fabric or plastic.

9. The cover of claim 7 further comprising an outer bag configured to receive the body of foam reinforced with the embedded frame and impact resistant layer and configured to expand to the predetermined size and shape at elevated temperatures to accommodate the expanding polymeric material constituting the body of foam.

10. The cover of claim 9, wherein the bag is made from reinforced PNC.

11. A cover for a spa or hot tub, comprising: a body of foam made from pellets expandable at elevated temperatures; a reinforcing frame embedded within the body of foam; at least one layer of mesh material embedded within the body of foam and stretched over and coupled to frame; and an outer bag receiving the body of foam with the embedded reinforcing frame and the at least one layer of mesh material and configured to expand to a predetermined size and shape and blend with the pellets at the elevated temperatures to wrap around and blend with the body of foam.

12. The cover of claim 11, wherein the body of foam is made from material selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, polyethylene, or PNC.

13. The cover of claim 11 , wherein the frame includes at least a pair of longitudinal hollow beams and at least one hollow cross beam extending between and coupled to the longitudinal hollow beams to define multiple pockets within the body of foam between the hollow beams, each of the hollow beams being provided with a respective opening to allow the pellets to flow through at the elevated temperatures to form an integral structure of the cover.

14. The cover of claim 11, wherein the bag and the impact resistant layer are made from a woven mesh material selected from fabric or metal.

15. A method of forming a cover for a spa, comprising the steps of: forming an outer bag configured to have an interior; providing a reinforcing frame including a plurality of beams; stretching an impact-resistant layer of mesh material; inserting the frame with the stretched impact resistant layer into the outer bag and filling the interior of the bag with pellets made from polymeric material capable of expanding at elevated temperatures to form a body of foam embedding the frame and the impact reinforcing layer and blending with the bag to form a rigid, light structure of the cover.