WO2006024760A1

WO2006024760A1 - Device for protecting and securing a swimming pool

Info

Publication number: WO2006024760A1
Application number: PCT/FR2005/001989
Authority: WO
Inventors: Eric Benamo
Original assignee: Eric Benamo
Priority date: 2004-07-30
Filing date: 2005-07-29
Publication date: 2006-03-09
Also published as: FR2873731A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for protecting and securing a swimming pool. Said invention also relates to swimming pool engineering, in particular to safety devices using swimming pool covering means. The inventive device comprises covering means (6) which is displaceable between unfolded and collapsed positions and arranged on a safety barrier (2) provided with protective panels (5). Said invention makes it possible to cover a swimming pool for protecting it against external cold and impurities and easily uncover said swimming pools by always maintaining a permanent safety device satisfying current standards.

Description

BT SAFETY PROTECTION DEVICE FOR SWIMMING POOLS

The present invention ^relates to a protection and safety device for swimming pool.

It relates to the technical field of pool equipment, and more particularly to safety devices using PPμr means to cover the pools.

Laws and standards for pool safety needed to secure direct access to the pool ^as' young children who can not swim can not be -tomber and drown.

For this reason, unclosed ground pools for individual or collective use must be provided with a standardized safety device to prevent the risk of drowning. Among these standardized devices, oh found in particular; : shelters, automatic shutters, alarms and gates.

Shelters make it possible to isolate a pool from the cold and all external impurities. They are generally telescopic formed by retractable arch-shaped modules for covering or easily discover the pool of water. Due to their telescopic nature, these shelters have a small footprint when they are in the folded position. Yet, they have the disadvantage of not offering any security when in the folded, leaving position _. free access to. basin. Moreover, their installation is unsightly and relatively expensive.

The automatic shutters covering the body of water of the basin have the same disadvantage as the shelters, namely that in the folded position access to the body of water is no longer protected and that young children do not know may be drowned.

Alarms installed around a pool and detecting the entry of someone inside a defined space or detecting the immersion of a person in the water are not totally satisfactory because they are the most p .art of the extraordinary time and do not protect the access to the basin, their effectiveness being conditioned by the attentive presence of an adult. In addition, the pond water is not protected from cold or external impurities. 01989

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Protective barriers prevent young children from approaching the pond. Although they offer permanent safety, they do not thermally isolate a pool and protect it from all external impurities, unlike shelters or automatic shutters. ^{• •} .

The present invention aims to overcome this state of affairs including the fact that it can cover a pool to protect it from cold and external impurities and discover it easily while maintaining a permanent safety device meeting the standards in force .

The invention also aims to provide a pool safety and security device of simple design, easy to maneuver, aesthetic, compact and inexpensive.

^• These objects are achieved by a protection device and Safety pool with covering means adapted to move between an extended position and a folded position, being characterized in that said means are arranged on a safety barrier ^• comprising solid protective panels. Thus, when the recovery means are. in the deployed position, the pool is secured ^' and covered so protected from cold and external impurities and when the means -., _O recovery are in the folded position, the pool is discovered, but the protective barriers continue to prohibit the access to the water. _, .

To simplify the design and facilitate the handling of the present device, the covering means are panels capable of sliding along the safety barrier in horizontal guide rails' arranged on the upper part of said barrier. To reduce the size of the device object of the invention when the protective means are in the folded position, the covering means are retractable panels or a flexible roll-up panel. For ease of handling, the retractable panels are advantageously provided with connecting means for operating only the last panel in one direction or another to set up the other panels. Advantageously, isolation means will be arranged with the covering means to establish an optimal thermal insulation and limit the heat loss of the pool water when said means are in the deployed position.

In order for the device according to the invention to be able to adapt to already existing safety barriers, the guide rails are fixed on a support that temporarily or permanently rises on the posts of one of these safety barriers.

To improve the aesthetics of the device of the invention, the covering means are concentrated in a compartment located in the extension of the safety barrier when in the folded position.

To automatically handle the covering means, said means may be arranged with a motor.

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will emerge more clearly on reading the following description, given by way of indicative and nonlimiting example, with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of the device of the invention partially covering the pool of a pool;

- Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view _. and vertical of the. device according to the invention shown in Figure 1 showing recovery means in the deployed position;

- Figure 3 shows the device of the invention according to Figure 2 with the cover means in the folded position;

FIG. 4 is a partial section along AA of the device according to the invention according to FIG. 3 showing the guiding elements of the covering means; - Figure 5 is a longitudinal and vertical sectional view of the device according to the invention showing the covering means in an alternative embodiment.

Referring to Figure 1, the device object of the invention .is intended to equip a pool 1. It allows a user to thermally isolate the pool from cold, for example in winter or when there is no sun, and protect it from external impurities that can deteriorate _. the quality of the pond water. The user can swim even if the weather - outside conditions are not favorable. It also makes it possible to equip a swimming pool with a permanent safety device that meets the standards in force.

The protection and safety device object of the invention comprises a safety barrier 2 encircling the basin of the pool 1, preventing young children access to the body of water and preventing any risk of drowning. v To comply with the safety standards in force, the safety barrier is fixed to the ground and arranged at least at the edges of the pool. The minimum height of this barrier 2 is greater than or equal to

1.1m and, the access door 3 is equipped with a closing system.

^"Safe Non maneuverable by a child. In this way, the pool is equipped with 'permanence of a safety device able to prevent young children who can not swim drown. These characteristics are obviously not limiting and can evolve in time and space according to current safety standards.

The safety barrier 2 advantageously comprises posts 4 formed by extruded aluminum profiles.

According to a preferred embodiment, the posts 4 are interconnected by protective panels 5, solid and transparent, preferably made of 5mm transparent full-extruded polycarbonate of thickness capable of maintaining the heat accumulated when the covering means 6 are deployed above the pool of the pool 1.

These covering means 6 are arranged on the top of the safety barrier 2 to translate horizontally so as to cover the pool 1 and form with the protective panels 5 an enclosed space type shelter protecting the pool from cold and external impurities.

The ability to translate covering means 6 allows a user to cover or easily discover the top of the pool according to the weather conditions.

With reference to the preferred embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the covering means are retractable panels 6 'rigid, sliding in guide rails 7 arranged on the upper part of the safety barrier 2, on the side of the pool 1.

The guide rails 7 are parallel to each other, horizontal, their number being equal to the number of retractable panels 6 'used and are advantageously positioned in the direction of the length of the pool 1. In order to easily assemble the covering means on a n Whatever type of safety barrier already exists, the trimming rails are fixed on a support 8 rising temporarily or permanently on the posts 4. It is also possible to directly integrate guiding means into the structure itself. of the security fence.

Advantageously, the retractable panels 6 'are lightweight translucent alveolar polycarbonate having a high UV resistance.

As shown in Figure 4, the side walls of the retractable panels 6 'are of rounded shape, complementary to the guide rails 7 so as to limit friction at the level of this connection and facilitate the sliding of said panels. Other means to facilitate the sliding can obviously be used in an equivalent manner, for example example by placing rollers or rollers at the link retractable panel / rail.

The retractable panels 6 'are advantageously provided with connecting means of the type comprising a loop cooperating with a hook or any other equivalent means allowing the user to translate only the last panel 6'a in one direction or another to deploy or fold down all other panels.

When in the deployed position (Figure 2), the retractable panels 6 'are positioned on the guide rails 7. so as to completely cover the basin. the pool 1 and the surface encircled by the safety barrier and cooperate with the protective panels 5 to form a closed space around said pool.

Isolation means, of the joint type, are preferably arranged between the retractable panels 6 'and at the level of the retractable panel / protective panel connections to establish an optimal thermal insulation and to limit the heat losses of the water of the swimming pool. These isolation means furthermore prevent external impurities from infiltrating the water.

When they are in the folded position (FIG. 3), the retractable panels 6 'are superimposed in a compact manner, the longitudinal dimensions being limited to the dimensions of a single panel. A

The compartment 9 located for example along a transverse side of the pool, in the extension of the security barrier, then allows them to concentrate in a small volume and conceals aesthetically.

The retractable panels 6 ', and in particular the last panel 6'a when said panels are provided with connecting means, can be arranged with a motor by means of a chain or a rack arranged at the level of the guide rails in order to translate them mechanically. ^"• In a variant embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the covering means is a flexible panel 6 "of the type formed of a plurality of articulated rigid modular elements.

From. the same way as previously described, this flexible panel. is slidable in a horizontal guide rail 7 arranged on the upper part of the safety barrier.

A retractor 10 located in the compartment 9 makes it easy to fold the flexible panel. This reel can be manual or motorized so as to deploy or fold down the panel easily. In the same way, the flexible panel may be coupled to a chain or rack arranged at the level of the guide rail and arranged with a motor.

The presence and positioning of the various ^components' give the object of the invention a maximum of useful effects which had not been, to date, been obtained by similar devices.

Claims

FR2005 / 001989- 8 -REVENDICATIONS

1. Protective and safety device for swimming pool (1) comprising covering means (6) able to move between an extended position where said swimming pool is covered and a folded position where said swimming pool is discovered, characterized by the fact that said covering means are arranged on the top of a safety barrier (2) having protection panels (5) for translating horizontally so as to cover said pool and form with said protective panels a closed space type shelter.

2. Protection and safety device according to claim 1, characterized in that the covering means (6) are panels (6 ', 6'a, 6 ") capable of sliding along the safety barrier (2) in horizontal guide rails (7) arranged on the upper part of said barrier.

3. Protective and safety device according to claim 2, characterized in that the covering means (6) are "retractable panels (6 ', 6'a) rigid.

4. Protection and safety device according to claim 3, characterized in that the retractable panels (6 ', 6'a) are provided with connection means for translating only the last retractable panel (6'a) in one direction or another to deploy or fold all other panels.

5. Protection and safety device according to one of the claims

3 or 4, characterized in that isolation means are arranged with the retractable panels (6 ', 6'a). 005/001989

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6. Protection and safety device according to claim 2, characterized in that the covering means (6) is a flexible panel (6 ') rollable.

7. Protection and safety device according to one of claims 2 to 6; characterized by the fact that the guide rails (7) are fixed on a support (8) rising temporarily or permanently on the posts (4) of the safety barrier (2).

8. Protection and safety device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the covering means (6) are concentrated in a compartment (9) when in the folded position.

9. Protection and safety device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the covering means (6) are arranged with a motorization.