This invention relates to in-ground and above-ground swimming pools of the type utilizing a flexible liner, or other non-corrosive sealant, and having a pool perimeter defined by modular sidewalls comprising a number of interconnected panels.
Many swimming pools, particularly private residential pools, use a flexible liner for containing the water. The liner is typically suspended from sidewalls which define the pool's perimeter. Along the floor of the pool, the liner typically rests on a layer of compacted sand or vermiculite or on a slab of concrete. Alternately, the sidewalls can be sealed and covered with non-corrosive paint or other surface protectors.
The sidewalls of the pool must be designed with sufficient strength and durability to withstand the outward force generated by a great volume of water when the pool is filled, as well as the inward and downward force of surrounding soil and/or decking when the pool is empty. For strength and durability, one preferred material for pool sidewalls is galvanized steel of an appropriate thickness gauge.
To facilitate on-site installation, particularly in the case of “backyard” pools, the sidewalls are typically composed of pre-fabricated modules that are in the form of rectangular panels. The rectangular panels are typically oriented with the longer sides being horizontal and the shorter sides being vertical. Such panels are usually formed from rectangular steel sheets with flanges extending from the vertical sides thereof. The flanges are folded over at right angles, such that when the panels are arranged in series adjacent to one another, the flanges are flush with one another. The flanges thus provide contact surfaces whereby adjacent panels may be fastened to one another to form a continuous sidewall structure around the pool perimeter.
In existing pool designs, a single sidewall panel extends from above the waterline to the floor of the pool. In other words, a single tier of serially-connected panels defines the pool perimeter. This configuration gives rise to several problems. With increasing depth of the panel's vertical dimension, there is a corresponding increase in outward water pressure tending to bend or bow out the mid-section and flanges of each panel and also tending to force adjacent panels apart. To reduce the deflection of the panels under this pressure, it is necessary to increase the thickness gauge of the steel, thereby adding to the material cost and making the panels more cumbersome and difficult to transport, handle and install. The bending and shearing forces between adjacent panels also can cause failure of bolt fasteners used to connect adjacent panels. Since the shearing and bending stresses increase with the length of the fastener, this problem is magnified when panels must be connected at acute or obtuse angles to achieve a curved or contoured pool perimeter.
The prior art has dealt with the problem of bending stress on single-layer pool sidewalls in two basic ways. One approach has been to incorporate reinforcing ribs into the panels. Examples of this approach can be seen in Lankheet, U.S. Pat. No. 3,975,782 (FIG. 2, ref. #19; col. 2, ln. 49-55), Zikmanis et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,304 (FIG. 2, ref. #18; FIG. 7, ref. #46; col. 3, ln 40; col. 4, ln. 16), and Frei, U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,004 (FIGS. 1 and 2, ref. #58; col. 2, ln. 48-49).
The introduction of reinforcing ribs presents its own set of problems, however. There is still the requirement of additional steel, which adds to the cost and bulk of the panels. There is also the problem of attaching the ribs to the panel. This is typically done by welding, which degrades the galvanized coating of the steel and thus makes it more susceptible to corrosion. Since such reinforcing ribs are attached to the back of the panel, which is in direct contact with soil and groundwater for in-ground installations, the effect is to cut short the useful life of the panel and require frequent and expensive maintenance.
Another way to deal with bending stress is to buttress the panels with vertical and/or diagonal support structures embedded or anchored in the ground or concrete footing outside the pool perimeter. Examples of this technique are disclosed in Laven, U.S. Pat. No. 3,938,199 (FIG. 2, ref. #42, 44; col. 5, ln. 10-16), Kantor, U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,555 (FIG. 5, ref. #24, 26; col. 3, ln. 7-9), Maupas, U.S. Pat. No. 5,896,715 (FIG. 7, ref. #20; col. 4, ln. 64-67), and Vila Corts, U.S. Pat. No. 6,848,125 (FIG. 1, ref. #12-15; col. 2, ln. 19-22).
The installation of such buttressing structures outside the pool perimeter brings with it some major disadvantages. Obviously, there is the added material and installation costs associated with these structures themselves. For in-ground pools, the area of excavation is substantially expanded, thereby involving greater expense for the pool owner. Moreover, the footprint required for the pool installation, whether in-ground or above-ground, is expanded to encompass the buttresses outside the pool perimeter. This presents particular problems for pool installations in small or constrained backyards or indoors where space is limited. Differential settling problems can also arise from the need to excavate and then backfill the area around buttresses or vertical supports. When the pool is surrounded by a deck, as is often the case, the backfilled area must support the deck, so that settling will cause damage to the deck and/or separation of the deck from the pool.
The prior art pool designs are also deficient insofar as they fail to disclose a modular panel pool enclosure that is adaptable to both in-ground and above-ground installations. Also lacking in the prior art is a modular swimming pool design that achieves a compact footprint that will fit in small or constrained backyards or indoors without sacrificing the pool's recreational utility. Consequently, the prior art leaves an unaddressed need for a modular swimming pool design applicable to above-ground and in-ground, or partial in-ground, installations, with a compact footprint and recreational utility comparable to larger pools.
The present invention has been designed to address the aforesaid need in three ways. First, instead of the single-tiered panel configurations found in the prior art, the present invention utilizes multiple tiers of serially-connected panels. By reducing the vertical dimension of each panel exposed to the water pressure, mid-panel deflection is curbed without the need for either reinforcing ribs within the panel or external buttressing. In fact, the strength of this multi-tiered modular panel sidewall design is sufficient to support a water-filled liner entirely or partially above the ground—that is, without the additional side support provided by the soil around an excavated pool enclosure.
Second, the preferred embodiment of the present invention features a peninsular console projecting from one of the sidewalls into the pool enclosure and extending above the waterline. The peninsular console can be located adjacent to or between steps at the entry side of the pool. This peninsular console provides an area for swimmers to relax and dry off without expanding the overall footprint, as with a conventional deck. The interior of the peninsular console provides a convenient area to locate the pool's mechanical equipment, which otherwise must be installed outside the pool perimeter. In this configuration, pumps, filters, skimmers, waterfalls, jets, lights and/or heaters can be accommodated within the peninsular console, once again reducing the overall footprint of the installation. Locating the skimmers within the peninsular console also eliminates the protrusion of skimmers in above-ground installations.
Third, the present invention in its preferred embodiment uses one or more venturi-based eductor jets that provide a water stream within the pool to enable someone to swim in place against the current and/or enjoy the jets' massaging effect. This feature allows a smaller pool to offer the recreational utility of a much larger pool in terms of continuous swimming time and distance. These eductor jets, which have heretofore had industrial applications, are superior to conventional pool jets insofar as they can move greater volumes of water with less power input. Thus, this feature cuts pool operating costs and conserves energy.
Accordingly, the present invention achieves the following advantages and beneficial objectives:
The foregoing and other beneficial objectives and advantages of the present invention are realized in a specific, illustrative embodiment thereof presented herein below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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In the preferred embodiment of the present invention 10, a peninsular console 14 projects from one the sidewalls 11 into the pool enclosure 12. The peninsular console 14 preferably has a generally oblong shape, with two long sides 41, which are perpendicular to the sidewall 11 from which the peninsular console projects, and a front side 42, which is parallel to the sidewall 11 from which the peninsular console 14 projects. Referring now to
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The peninsular console 14 and the steps 18 are preferably hollow, so that its interior space can accommodate mechanical equipment 19 appurtenant to the pool, such as one or more pumps, filters, skimmers, waterfalls, jets, lights and/or heaters. In the preferred embodiment, one or more eductor jets 20 are also installed within the peninsular console 14. Referring to
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Each of the lateral flanges 28 has a flap 31 extending from the entire length of its distal side. The flap 31 can have either a single-bend or a double-bend configuration. A single-bend flap is disclosed in Frei, U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,004 (in which it is designated in FIGS. 1 and 2 by ref. #59). The single-bend flap is bent inward toward the rear face 27 of the panel 23 into a plane perpendicular to that of the lateral flange 28 from which it extends. In the preferred embodiment depicted in
The double-bend flap 31 featured in the preferred embodiment provides an added level of resistance to bending stress, since both bends of the flap 31 must be deformed before the panel 23 can be deflected about its vertical axis.
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In the preferred embodiment, the peninsular console 14 also contains one or more eductor jets 20. Referring to
Another optional feature of the preferred embodiment is a safety cut-off box (not shown), which cuts off the inflow of water to the eductor jets 20 when the eductor intake 22 is obstructed. This feature prevents a child or feeble person from being trapped underwater by the suction force of the intake 22.
While this invention has been described with reference to a specific embodiment, the description is not to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiment, as well other embodiments of the invention, will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to this description. It is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will cover any such modifications or embodiments that fall within the true scope of this invention.