Patent Application
20180363314
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The disclosure and prior art relates to cover assemblies and more particularly pertains to a new cover assembly for protecting users from hard edges of water features.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a pad that is substantially complementary to a coping. The pad is configured to couple to the coping of water features such as pools, spas and hot tubs. The pad is configured to shield a user from directly impacting the coping as the user approaches an edge of the water feature. The pad also is configured to extend over a perimeter surface of the water feature, such that the pad is configured to seat the user on the pad.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The pad 12 comprises a top piece 18, a side piece 20 and a bottom piece 22. The top piece 18 is configured to extend over the perimeter surface of the water feature when the pad 12 is coupled to the coping, such that the pad 12 is configured to seat the user on the top piece 18. The side piece 20 is coupled to and extends transversely from a first end 24 of the top piece 18. In one embodiment, the side piece 20 is arcuate. In another embodiment, the side piece 20 is straight. The bottom piece 22 is coupled to and extends transversely from the side piece 20 distal from the top piece 18. The top piece 18 and the bottom piece 22 are substantially parallel planarly positioned. The top piece 18, the side piece 20 and the bottom piece 22 define a channel 26. The channel 26 is substantially complementary to a protrusion of the coping. The top piece 18 has a second end 28 that is tapered.
The pad 12 comprises a plurality of sections 30. Each section 30 is configured to couple to the coping. Respective sections 30 are configured for adjacent coupling to the coping to assemble the pad 12. Respective sections 30 are configured to couple to straight edges, curved edges, inside corners and outside corners of the coping.
A plurality of couplers 32 is coupled to the inner surface 14 of the pad 12. The couplers 32 are positioned on the inner surface 14 such that the couplers 32 are configured to couple the pad 12 to the perimeter surface of the water feature. Each of the plurality of sections 30 comprises two couplers 32. In one embodiment, each coupler 32 comprises a first fastener 34, which is coupled to the inner surface 14 of the pad 12, and a second fastener 36, which is configured to adhesively couple to the perimeter surface of the water feature. The second fastener 36 is complementary to the first fastener 34. The second fastener 36 is configured to couple to the perimeter surface of the water feature such that the second fastener 36 is positioned to couple to the first fastener 34 to couple the pad 12 to the perimeter surface of the water feature. In another embodiment, the first fastener 34 and the second fastener 36 comprise a nylon hook and loop connector 38.
In use, each section 30 of the plurality of sections 30 is configured to couple to the coping. Respective sections 30 are configured to couple to straight edges, curved edges, inside corners and outside corners of the coping to assemble the pad 12. The couplers 32 are positioned on the inner surface 14 such that the couplers 32 are configured to couple the pad 12 to the perimeter surface of the water feature. The pad 12 is configured to shield a user from directly impacting the coping as the user approaches an edge of the water feature. The top piece 18 of the pad 12 is configured to extend over the perimeter surface of the water feature when the pad 12 is coupled to the coping, such that the pad 12 is configured to seat the user on the top piece 18.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
