Patent Application
20240262722
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The disclosure relates to chlorination devices and more particularly pertains to a new chlorination device for chlorinating water in a swimming pool. The device includes a float housing which contains a chlorine tablet and the float housing can be floated in water of a swimming pool. The device includes a pumping unit integrated into the float housing for pumping water into the float housing to chlorinate the water. The device includes a spraying element integrated into the float housing for spraying the chlorinated water in a fountain to re-circulate the chlorinated water back into the swimming pool.
The prior art relates to chlorination devices including a variety of decorative fountain devices that each at least includes a float housing that can be floated in a swimming pool and a spraying element for spraying water in a fountain. The prior art discloses a variety of automated swimming pool skimmers for collecting debris from a swimming pool. The prior art discloses a floating chemical dispenser for releasing chlorine into a swimming pool.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a float housing that can be placed in water of a swimming pool. The float housing has an intake to facilitate the water to enter the float housing. A chlorine tablet is positionable within the float housing to release chlorine into the water. A pumping unit is integrated into the lid and the pumping unit has a spraying element extending upwardly from the lid. The pumping unit is in fluid communication with the intake in the float housing to pump the water in the float housing outwardly through the spraying element thereby releasing the chlorinated water into the pool. A plurality of solar panels is mounted to the lid for powering the pumping unit.
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 float housing 12 includes a chlorine cup 34 that is removably attachable to the bottom end 32 of the sleeve portion 22 such that the chlorine cup 34 closes the bottom end 32. The chlorine cup 34 has a plurality of openings 36 each extending through an outer wall 38 of the chlorine cup 34 such that the plurality of openings 36 defines the intake 18 of the float housing 12. A chlorine tablet 40 is positionable within the float housing 12 to release chlorine into the water 14 thereby chlorinating the swimming pool 16. The chlorine tablet 40 is positionable in the chlorine cup 34 such that the chlorine tablet 40 is exposed to water 14 which flows inwardly through the plurality of openings 36 in the outer wall 24 of the chlorine cup 34. The chlorine tablet 40 may be a water soluble chlorine tablet of any conventional design that is commonly employed in swimming pool maintenance.
A float 42 is insertable into the float housing 12 and the float 42 is comprised of a buoyant material to facilitate the float housing 12 to float 42 in the water 14. The float 42 comprises an annular ring which has an outside diameter that is less than an inside diameter of the cup portion 20 of the float housing 12. In this way the float 42 can be inserted into the cup portion 20 of the float housing 12 having the float 42 extending around the sleeve portion 22. The float 42 has a groove 44 extending downwardly from a top surface 46 of the float 42 and the groove 44 is aligned with the slot 26 in the outer wall 24 of the sleeve portion 22. The float 42 extends between the bottom wall 30 of the cup portion 20 and the upper edge 28 of the outer wall 24 of the cup portion 20. A mesh bag 52 is insertable into the sleeve portion 22 of the float housing 12 and the mesh bag 52 extends into the chlorine cup 34 when the chlorine cup 34 is attached to the sleeve portion 22. The mesh bag 52 is comprised of a particulate filtering 62 material to filter particles from the water 14 flowing through the plurality of openings 36 in the outer wall 24 of the chlorine cup 34.
A lid 54 is provided and the lid 54 is attachable to the float housing 12. The lid 54 has a top wall 56 and a perimeter wall 58 extending downwardly from the top wall 56 and the lid 54 has a hole 60 extending through the top wall 56. The hole 60 is centrally located on the top wall 56 and the top wall 56 has a ring 62, disposed on a bottom surface 63 of the top wall 56, which extends around the perimeter wall 58. An annular gasket 64 is positionable between the ring 62 on the top wall 56 of the lid 54 and the upper edge 48 of the outer wall 50 of the cup portion 20 of the float housing 12. The annular gasket 64 is comprised of a fluid impermeable material to inhibit water 14 from passing between the lid 54 and the float housing 12.
A pumping unit 66 is integrated into the lid 54 and the pumping unit 66 has a spraying element 68 extending upwardly from the lid 54. The pumping unit 66 is in fluid communication with the intake 18 in the float housing 12 when the lid 54 is attached to the flout housing 12. In this way the pumping unit 66 can pump the water 14 in the float housing 12 outwardly through the spraying element 68 thereby releasing the chlorinated water 14 into the pool 16. The pumping unit 66 comprises an electronics housing 70 that is attached to the bottom surface 63 of the top wall 56 of the lid 54. The electronics housing 70 is positioned in the slot 26 in the outer wall 24 of the cup and the groove 44 in the top surface 46 of the float 42 when the lid 54 is attached to the float housing 12.
The pumping unit 66 includes a control circuit 74 that is positioned within the electronics housing 70 to protect the control circuit 74 from being exposed to the water 14. A pump 76 is attached to the bottom surface 72 of the top wall 56 and the pump 76 is electrically coupled to the control circuit 74. The pump 76 has an input 78 and an output 80 and the input 78 comprises a tube 82 extending downwardly from the pump 76. The tube 82 extends into the sleeve portion 22 of the float housing 12 when the lid 54 is attached to the cup portion 20 of the float housing 12. In this way the pump 76 can urge the chlorinated water 14 inwardly through the tube 82 and outwardly through the output 80 when the pump 76 is turned on. The pump 76 may comprise an electric fluid pump or other similar type of pump.
The pumping unit 66 includes a pipe 86 that is fluidly coupled to the output 80 of the pump 76 to receive the chlorinated water 14 pumped by the pump 76. The pipe 86 extends upwardly through the hole 60 in the top wall 56 of the lid 54 and the pipe 86 has an upper end 88. The pumping unit 66 includes a spray head 90 that is coupled to the upper end 88 of the pipe 86 such that the spray head 90 defines the spraying element 68 of the pumping unit 66. The spray head 90 has a foraminous face 92 to spray the chlorinated water 14 outwardly from the foraminous face 92 thereby re-circulating the chlorinated water 14 into the pool 16.
A plurality of solar panels 94 is mounted to the lid 54 thereby facilitating each of the plurality of solar panels 94 to be exposed to sunlight. Each of the plurality of solar panels 94 is electrically coupled to the pumping unit 66 for powering the pumping unit 66. Each of the plurality of solar panels 94 is positioned on a top surface 95 of the top wall 56 of the lid 54. Furthermore, each of the plurality of solar panels 94 tapers between a front edge 96 and a back edge 98 such that each of the plurality of solar panels 94 has a wedge shape. The plurality of solar panels 94 is arranged to radiate around the pipe 86 of the pumping unit 66.
In use, the chlorine tablet 40 is placed in the chlorine cup 34 and the chlorine cup 34 is attached to the sleeve portion 22 of the float housing 12. The float housing 12 is positioned in the water 14 in the swimming pool 16 such that the sleeve portion 22 of the float housing 12 extends downwardly in the water 14 thereby facilitating the chlorine tablet 40 to be submerged. The pump 76 urges the water 14 outwardly through the spray head 90 to facilitate the chlorinated water 14 to be re-circulated into the swimming pool 16. Furthermore, the spray head 90 produces a visually appealing display similar to a fountain and the spray head 90 produces the relaxing sound of running water 14. The mesh screen filters the water 14 as the pump 76 urges the water 14 inwardly through the tube 82. The mesh screen is removed from the float housing 12 for rinsing when the mesh screen becomes filled with particles and the chlorine tablet 40 is replaced when the chlorine tablet 40 is dissolved.
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.
