Patent Application
20070294817
To further clarify the above and other advantages and features of the present invention, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:
Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The various exemplary embodiments provide systems for retractably positioning a cover over an opening of a space. The exemplary embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
The drive mechanism support member 16 includes two vertical side plates 22, 24. The first vertical side plate 22 is arranged to support the shaft 26 on bearing 29 extending out from the drum 12. The second vertical side plate 24 is arranged to support a drive mechanism 28, such as an electric motor 29. The drive mechanism may also be a hydraulic motor or other power means suitable to provide rotational torque sufficient to rotate the drum 12 to retract the cover 18 from the opening 20 and to rotate the reel mechanism 30 to pull the cover 18 over the opening 20. A hand crank mechanism can also be used with suitable gearing connected to the shaft 26 when the gearing has adequate mechanical advantage.
In
A hollow sleeve 34 circumscribes the shaft assembly 26 adjacent to the motor coupling 32. A first cord-collecting reel 36 and a second cord-collecting reel 38 freely rotate about the sleeve 34. The sleeve 34 also freely rotates about the shaft assembly 26. Pawls 40 and 42 are spring loaded, and are fixed to the inner walls 37 and 39 of reel means such as the cord-collecting reels 36 and 38, respectively. A ratchet drum 44 is secured to the hollow shaft 34 by means of a slot 46 and key 47. The pawls 40 and 42 have teeth-like teeth or tips 41 sized to engage the cogs 43 of the ratchet drum 44. Springs 48 and 50 are arranged to torque the teeth such as tooth 41 of the pawls 40 and 42 into the spaces 45 between cogs 43. The cogs 43 of the ratchet drum 44 are spaced at even radial increments for engaging the pawls 40, 42 with the ratchet drum 44. Counter-clockwise rotation of the ratchet drum 44 causes both of the cord-collecting reels 36, 38 to likewise turn in unison in a counter-clockwise direction due to the engagement of the tips or teeth 41 of the pawls 40, 42 in the cogs 43 of the ratchet drum 44. When the cover 18 is being closed, it may wind up unevenly on the drum 12. In turn, one of the cords 88 or 90 may become excessively taut because one side of the cover 18 is on the drum with the other side still partially out or not on the drum 12. The pawl 40 and 42 on the taut reel will slip causing the rotational rate of one reel 36 to vary with respect to the rotation rate of the other (that is taut). Thus the side of the cover that is not wound on to the drum may continue onto the drum. In installation, the rate of rotation can be adjusted using the brake components 62 and 64 (
The drive mechanism that is connected to one end of the shaft assembly 26 is, for example, a reversible electric motor of about one-quarter to one-half horsepower and a gear-speed reducer capable of producing from about 18 to about 60 revolutions per minute. Power is transmitted from the drive mechanism 28 to either the cord-collecting reels 40, 42 or the drum 12 by a clutch system 52, such as a spiral-jaw clutch or a double dog clutch system. This clutch system 52 comprises three major elements as shown in
When the shaft assembly 26 is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction, the shifting collar 60 moves laterally to the left and engages the second end member 56, causing the reels 36 and 38 to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction. During rotation of the cord collecting reels 36 and 28, the cords 88 and 90 extending out from the beads of the pool cover 18 are collected on the reels 36 and 38 pulling the cover 18 over the space such as a swimming pool.
During extension and retraction of the swimming pool cover 18, it is desirable to maintain a pre-selected tension on the pool cover 18 through the draw cords or ropes 88 and 90 by applying an adjustable drag or braking force to each of the cord-collecting reels. This is accomplished by the brake components 62 and 64 as illustrated in
The brake component 62 includes a shaft 66 that is loosely connected to the drive mechanism support member 16 to pivot a pair of elongated arms 68, 70 having brake shoes 72, 74 fixed to each of the inner walls of the elongated arms 68, 70. These brake shoes 72, 74 are positioned to face the outer walls 37A and 37B of the first cord-collecting reel 36 and rotate about the brake bar 81. A spring-loaded, threaded bolt 76 passes through the top portion of the elongated arms 68, 70. The end of the threaded bolt 76 is adapted to receive a nut such as a wing nut 78. Turning the wing nut 78 clockwise urges the arms 68, 70 and brake shoes 72, 74 against the outer walls of the first cord-collecting reel 36. This type of brake system is reported in U.S. Pat. No. 4,060,860 the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
A rod 80 is attached to the drive mechanism support member 16 on a side opposite the brake system as shown in
As shown in
A reel locking system 100 is shown in
The lever 102 includes a contact end 106 shaped to fit against a surface of the pawl 40 and a grip end 108 to assist a user to rotate the lever 102 to a desired position. The contact end 106 can be shaped in various arrangements, for example, it can be tapered, pointed, flat, round, jagged, or any other shape that allows the contact end 106 to fit against a surface of the pawl 40. In the exemplary embodiment, the contact end is cut, punched, formed, or otherwise machined to have a tip 110 at the outermost end. The tip 110 can be rectangular in projection and even rectangular in cross section transverse to axis 103. The contact end 106 is shaped to provide a surface 106A large enough to fit against the pawl 40 and small enough to rotate the corners around to position the contact end 106 in-line with the pawl 40.
The reel locking system 100 can be rotated between an unlocked position as shown in
The grip end 108 is located on the lever 102 opposite the contact end 106. The grip end 108 can include a handle 112 to assist in gripping the lever 102. The handle 112 can be a piece welded, molded, or fastened to, or formed from, the lever 102 that extends out from the lever 102. For example, the handle 112 can be formed by bending the grip end 108 out at an angle from the axis 103 of the lever 102. When bending the lever to form the handle 112, the angle can be set, for example, between about 10 degrees to about 170 degrees relative to the axis 103. The exemplary embodiment shows the angle 105 of the handle to be about 90 degrees to the lever 102.
The lever 102 may be made from a metal, plastic, or other rigid material. The exemplary embodiment has a lever 102 made of a stainless steel material to provide corrosion resistance. The lever 102 is sized in width 107 to accommodate the hole for fastener 104. In the example, the lever 102 is about 0.25 inches thick, about 0.375 inches wide 107, and about 1.0 inch long 109. The handle 112 extends up from the lever 102 about 0.375 inches. The tip 110 is about 0.25 inches wide by about 0.25 inches long. The distance from the fastener 104 to the end of the tip 110 is about 0.5 inches.
The reel locking system 100 gives the user an option of allowing one or both the cord-collecting reels or rope reels 36 and 38 to rotate with respect to each other while in the unlocked position. The cord tension 88 in one cord-collecting reel 36 may become greater than the other. When one cord 88 or 90 becomes taut, the corresponding pawl slips with respect to the ratchet drum 44 to allow the tension in the cords to even out. Use of the brakes 62 and 64 may also be used to regulate the reels 36 and 38 so that the cover 18 pulls out evenly to close the pool and returns evenly to open the pool (or space being covered). Once the enclosure system 10 has been adjusted, the reel locking system 100 can be operated to lock one or both reels 36 and 38 and preferably both reels 36 and 38 so that the cover 18 upon retraction to the open position will necessarily always wind up evenly and will always move toward the closed position evenly. That is, variable tension on one cord, e.g., cord 88 and not the other, e.g., cord 90, may be experienced for a variety of reasons. The varying tension can cause the cover 18 to wind on the drum 12 crooked or to move toward the closed position with the leading edge of the cover 18 at an angle with respect to the end of the pool thereby leaving a portion of the pool uncovered. In turn, the cover 18 may not be fully retracted on one end or extended on the other. Unbalanced operation may also lead or cause other increased rope wear, damage to the cover itself and damage to the drive mechanism. By locking both rope reels 36 and 38 after initially balancing the tension and extendable length of the ropes 88 and 90, the cords or ropes 88 and 90 are supplied at about the same rate for balanced operations. It is preferred to have both reels 36 and 38 locked using a locking system like system 100.
It may also be noted that the locking system 100 allows technicians to return and easily rebalance the length and tension of the ropes 88 and 90 from time to time. The ropes 88 and 90 may stretch, wear, or otherwise deteriorate unevenly so that periodic rebalancing may be required. The reels can be unlocked to facilitate rebalancing by operating the lever 102 for each reel 36 and 38. Thereafter, balancing of the ropes 88 and 90 is effected as discussed herein before.
While the enclosure system 10 and the reel locking system 100 has been described with reference to the specific embodiment described, the descriptions are only illustrative and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. As such, the optimal dimensional relationships for the parts of the exemplary embodiment of the invention can be varied in size, materials, shape, configurations, form, function and manner of operation. The optimal dimensional relationships, use and assembly that are readily apparent to those skilled in the art and all equivalent relationships to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
