Patent Application
20120079651
Above-ground pools are a popular addition to many back yards. One of the most common products for these pools are stairs or ladders to get in and out of the pool. Essentially, a solution how to get over the above-ground pool's wall and into out of the pool, which can be between 3 and 5 feet, has been evolving. The ingress and egress method has to be done in a safe and comfortable manner.
There are known A-frame ladders, akin to a step-ladder, and deck ladders. One half of the step-ladder is always inside the pool, while the other half rests on the lawn or the in-pool half is attached to a deck. This solution to entering or exiting the pool is not the safest or most comfortable: it is not comfortable to descend a step-ladder into a pool on your heels; for proper dismount off a step-ladder, you must face backwards as you climb down. A ladder is steep, and a minute lack of attention can engender an accident.
There is known U.S. Pat. No. 6,966,405, to St-Pierre, for one alternative solution: a shell-like or hollow set of steps is submerged into a pool, and one would use them as one would use a set of steps. It is possible to descend into the pool walking forwards, not backwards. However, this invention is flawed in its design: for the product to be profitable, the plastic it is manufactured of will buckle if a weight, as prescribed by the ANSI standard for the minimum supported weight for pool steps, is lowered upon it. Due to the fact that the shell-like construction has no internal support for a user's weight, the side walls will flex outwardly, and the steps will collapse inwardly, causing the person to fall.
The present invention relates to an improvement of the prior art. A shell-like set of steps is submerged into a pool, but rather than the walls of the structure bearing all the weight, much of the weight is supported by columns substantially underneath the center of gravity of the steps. A column is one of the most adept weight-bearing constructions, and the present invention will hold the minimum weight, being 672 lb, as prescribed by ANSI standards.
Another advantage of the present design is that it is manufactured of a material that is heavier than water, thus eliminating the need for ballast, and simplifying installation. For example, most people remove pool steps for winter. Thus, when they open their pools for a season, they will have to install the steps inside the pool. If the pool steps require ballast because they are made of plastic that floats, this may oblige someone to get inside the pool, filled with frigid water, in order to place the ballast. The present invention eliminates this ordeal—a user lowers the steps into the pool, and they sink on their own accord; the only thing to do is to attach the steps to the pool deck or to the other half of the A-Frame. If additional weight is desired it can be hung onto an internal strut at a later date but it is not required to hold down the present design of the steps.
Another advantageous feature of the present design is the fact that water can sweep easily underneath the assembly, thus preventing the growth of algae. Typically, there are water currents inside a pool to facilitate filtration and removal of debris. The disadvantage of many hollow-bodied pool steps is that due to the fact that there is no architectural structure supporting the user's weight, the steps have to distribute the weight as evenly as possible. This is most optimally achieved by having a continuous contact lip between the steps and the floor of the pool. This design flaw creates pockets of standing water along the lip and inside of the pool stairs, permitting algae to grow. In the present invention, due to the fact that much of the weight is bore by columns, it is possible to have recesses between the steps assembly and the pool floor to permit the water to circulate underneath the pool steps.
The present invention also takes up less space during transportation than some of the prior art, since it is composed of several components that can be assembled by the end-user. Thus, it is possible to fit 6 products onto a standard pallet rather than 4, which is common for such products in the industry. Therefore, there is a gain of efficiency in transportation.
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Lower step 135 and upper step 140 are optionally coated with non-skid rubber matting (not shown) for safety. Right top skirt 17 and left top skirt 18 are permanently attached to sides of top stair portion 125 by means of rivets similar to those shown on
Deck connectors 165 are attached to handrail posts 150 by attachment portions 170. Screws (not shown) immobilize attachment portions 170 on posts 150 by traversing through attachment portion holes 175 and banister post holes 160. Deck connectors 165 stretch to deck 205, and are immobilized by attaching deck attachment portions 185 to deck 205. Notwithstanding the height difference between the attachment point of attachment portions 170 to posts 150, deck attachment portions 185 will fit any deck due to their ability to flex upwardly or downwardly via flexible joints 180 and 195, which is new feature of the present invention.
Starting with the bottom stair portion 40 (
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Two long weight support posts 85 are inserted into post receiving portions 60 located on the bottom side of the frame 55. Rear tie bar 105 with post receiving portions 110 is inserted over the ends of posts 86, locking them in place due to the locking of tie bar 105's skirt-receiving portions 115 and attachment tabs 37 found on skirts 15 and 20.
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Two handrail posts 150 (
Once pool stairs assembly 10 is complete, user can lower it into a pool (not shown). Considering the fact that assembly 10 is made of a plastic that is less buoyant than water, assembly 10 will sink to the bottom of the pool, where user will abut it to the pool wall 200.
Assembly 10 will be immobilized at the bottom of a pool, resting on front tie bar 90 and rear tie bar 105. About 80% of the weight will be supported by weight support posts 27, 85, and 86. The rest of the weight is borne by either bottom stair portion 40, skirts 15 and 20, or a combination thereof. Water will flow freely through flow-through apertures 25 and recesses 26, thus avoiding growth of algae on assembly 10.
Thus, it can be seen that the objects of the present invention have been satisfied by the structure presented hereinabove. While in accordance with the Patent Statutes, only the best most and preferred embodiments of the present invention have been presented and described in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto or thereby.
This application is based on provisional application No. 61/390,104 filed on Oct. 5, 2010.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61390104 | Oct 2010 | US |
