The present invention relates generally to fountains for spas.
A fountain is a structure from which a jet or stream of water issues. A fountain head, as used herein, is a component of a fountain from which the jet or stream of water issues. A spa is sometimes defined as tub for relaxation or invigoration, usually including a device for raising whirlpools in the water. A fountain for a spa is a fountain positioned such that the water from the fountain exits the fountain head, flows through the air, and flows into the spa.
In some fountains, a fountain head extends from the fountain (“pops up”) when a jet or stream of water issues from it, and retracts when it is not in use. An example of a pop-up fountain assembly for installation in a swimming pool can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,722,816 (the '816 patent). In the '816 patent, a fountain assembly extends upward from the bottom of a swimming pool when water flows through it, and retracts into the bottom of the pool when the fountain is turned off and the pool is to be used for swimming. An example of a spa with a pop-up waterfall apparatus can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,595,435 (the '435 patent). In the '435 patent, a waterfall apparatus pops up when a stream of water issues from it in the form of a waterfall, and retracts into the side of the spa when not in use.
The present invention is directed to apparatus and methods relating to pop-up fountains for spas. In one preferred embodiment a fountain includes a fountain head that has a first set of orifices and a second set of orifices, and at least two operating states. The first orifice set is active, and the second orifice set is inactive, while the fountain assembly is in a first operating state. The second orifice set becomes active when the fountain assembly is in a second operating state. The fountain transitions between the first operating state and the second operating state in response to a change in position of the fountain head and/or a change in fountain head pressure.
The exact nature of this invention, as well as the objects and advantages thereof, will become readily apparent from consideration of the following specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the figures thereof and wherein:
Reference will now be made to the preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention will be described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that these embodiments are not intended to limit the invention. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components, circuits and/or other items have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure the important aspects of the present invention.
When designing a fountain for a spa, it is not necessary to utilize multiple fountain heads to be able to vary the pattern of water flowing from the fountain. Instead, one or more multi-state fountain heads can be used. In a multi-state fountain head, the pattern of water flowing from the fountain head changes as the operating state changes. Such changes may be accomplished in a variety of ways, but in a preferred embodiment described herein, operating state changes are obtained through a change in fountain head position resulting from a change in the pressure of the water flowing into the fountain head.
In
Water within the cavity 2 enters the circulation system 5 via the cavity outlet 6, passes through the conduits 7 and the components 8, 10, and 12, and exits the circulation system 5 via the fountain assembly 11. The controller 9 is used to control the circulation system 5, and facilitates turning the system on and off and adjusting the pressure at which water is introduced into the fountain 11. Water is introduced into the fountain assembly 11 at at least two pressure levels, a higher level and a lower level. As shown in
In
As best seen in
The head assembly 13 and the cavity 15 cooperate to inhibit water flow through the orifice set 27 when the head assembly 13 is retracted into the cavity 15, and to allow water to flow through the orifice set 27 when the head assembly 13 is extended from the cavity 15. The head assembly 13 moves between a first, retracted position and a second, extended position in response to changes in water pressure at the fluid inlet 21 and the fluid channel 23. When water at lower pressure passes through the head assembly 13, water exits the head assembly 13 through the orifice set 25 as jets, but not through the orifice set 27 (see
The orifice set 27 is activated by changes in pressure of water entering the head assembly 13 in that water is less inhibited from flowing through the orifice(s) of the orifice set 27 at higher pressures than at lower pressures. Although the method by which orifice sets are activated or deactivated may vary between embodiments, the orifice set 27 is activated by increased pressure and corresponding movement of the head assembly 13.
Although it is preferred that no water flow through inactive orifices, it is contemplated that in some instances there will be leakage such that some water may pass through an orifice set when it is inactive. As such, water flowing through an orifice set is not always a reliable indicator of whether the orifice set is active, although lack of water flow is a good indicator of inactivity. In some embodiments an orifice set can be said to be active or inactive depending on whether the head is positioned to facilitate or inhibit flow through the orifices of the orifice set. In some embodiments a particular orifice set may be determined to be active or inactive because some other mechanism is facilitating or inhibiting water flow through the orifice set. In some embodiments, an orifice set is active if the fountain is in a state where water flow through the orifice set is desirable and inactive if flow through the orifice is not desirable.
In the assembly of
In some instances a fountain may be said to comprise multiple operating states with at least one operating state corresponding to each unique combination of active orifice sets. As such,
Although embodiments have been described in relation to two orifice sets, alternative embodiments may comprise additional orifice sets. As such, an embodiment might comprise three orifice sets and seven operating states with each of the at least seven operating states corresponding to a unique combination of the three orifice sets. As with the fountain of
The number , type, position, and/or orientation of orifices in each orifice set may vary between embodiments. As an example, some embodiments may only include jets in orifices sets and/or may only include sheeting manifolds, rather than having one set include jets and one set include a sheeting manifold as shown in
In some instances flow head assemblies may move in a manner that changes the direction of the flows issuing from the flow head assemblies, but does not result in any orifice sets being activated or inactivated. As an example,
In some embodiments, a head assembly may be manually or automatically configurable such that the size, number, position, and/or orientation of one or more orifices can be adjusted to change the pattern of water issuing from the head assembly. In some instances, a fountain may comprise one or more mechanisms which are not part of the head assembly for manually configuring the pattern of water issuing from the fountain. In
At least some of the fountains described herein may be said to embody the following method of operating a fountain: (a) causing the fountain to enter a first operating state wherein water flows through a first orifice set but not a second orifice set by causing water to flow into a fountain head at a first pressure; and (b) causing the fountain to enter a second operating state wherein water flows through a second orifice by causing the water to flow into the fountain head at second pressure which differs from the first pressure. In some instances, the fountains embody such a method where: (a) the second pressure is higher than the first pressure, and/or (b) water flows through both the first and second orifice sets when the fountain is in the second operating state.