SWIMMING POOL OVER-THE-EDGE MOUNTED EQUIPMENT

Abstract

A swimming pool accessory assembly including a frame that carries a personal support device such as a stool, and one or more accessories such as a table, a counter, a bar, and/or an umbrella. An arm is connected to the frame and engageable in a socket, such as a pool ladder receiving socket, in a pool deck, such that the first arm, frame, personal support device, and accessory are at least partially supported by engagement of the arm in the socket and the personal support is positioned to support an occupant partially-submerged in the swimming pool.

Description

FIELD

This application relates generally to the mounting of furniture and equipment in and around swimming pools.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART INCLUDING INFORMATION DISCLOSED UNDER 37 CFR 1.97 AND 1.98

Most known pool furniture is designed either to remain on dry land outside a swimming pool, i.e., on a pool deck, or to float on water contained in a pool. Also, some swimming pools are known to have seating areas or other furniture structures formed into the pool's walls as an integral installation.

SUMMARY

A swimming pool accessory assembly may comprise a personal support device, a frame carrying the personal support device, and a first arm connected to the frame. The first arm may be configured to engage a first socket in a pool deck adjacent a swimming pool such that the first arm, frame, and personal support device are at least partially supported by engagement of the arm in the socket, and the personal support device is positioned to support an occupant partially-submerged in the swimming pool.

DRAWING DESCRIPTIONS

These and other features and advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art in connection with the following detailed description and appended drawings of one or more embodiments of the invention, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a swimming pool accessory assembly partially submerged in a pool and secured to sockets in an adjacent pool deck;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top-down view of the assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a 90-degree laterally rotated side view of the assembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective exploded view of the assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an alternate bar embodiment of a swimming pool accessory assembly;

FIG. 8 is a top-down view of the embodiment of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the assembly of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a 90-degree laterally rotated side view of the assembly of FIG. 7;

FIG. 11 is a close-up perspective view of an arm of the assembly before engagement with a socket in a pool deck adjacent a pool;

FIG. 12 is a close-up perspective view of a frame of the assembly carrying adjustable bumpers;

FIG. 13 is a close-up perspective view of one of the bumpers of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 15 shows a longer 5-person bar embodiment of the assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A swimming pool accessory assembly securable to a pool deck adjacent a swimming pool is generally indicated at 10 in the figures. Alternate embodiments of the assembly are also generally indicated at 10′ and 10″. Parts common to multiple embodiments share the same number, while the presence and quantity of prime symbols indicates which embodiment they belong to. For example, a component labeled 42 may belong to a first embodiment, while an analogous part belonging to a second embodiment would be labeled 42′. Unless otherwise contradicted, description that applies to component 42 may be assumed to apply to 42′.

The assembly 10 may comprise a pool accessory 12 that may be supported by standard pool ladder receptacle sockets 14 via arms 16 extending from and connected to the accessory 12 and (as best shown in FIG. 11) configured to engage sockets 14 installed in a pool deck 18 adjacent a swimming pool 20. The pool accessory 12 may comprise one or more articles of sporting equipment, recreational equipment, or personal support devices including, but not limited to, seats 22, counters or bars 24, tables 26, and umbrellas 28. These elements may be combined into various embodiments, as shown in the Figures. For example, the embodiment of FIGS. 1-6 comprises two seats 22, a table 26, and an umbrella 28.

The pool ladder receptacle sockets 14 may be at least partially recessed or formed into a pool deck 18, or may be secured to a pool deck 18 surface by any suitable means known in the art. As best shown in FIG. 4, the pool accessory 12 may be supported in a partially or fully submerged position within the pool 20, so that an occupant 21, i.e., a person using a seat 22, would be at least partially submerged in the pool 20, e.g., with the water level 23 at approximately the occupant's waist level, when the arms 16 engage the sockets 14.

The assembly 10 may include one or more frames 30 carrying one or more pool accessories 12 and connecting the pool accessories 12 to the one or more arms 16. The frame 30 and/or the arms 16 may comprise 304 stainless steel tubing. And as best shown in FIGS. 2-4, the frames 30 may comprise rectangular tubing. However, any shape or size of frame 30 may be used to attach accessories 12 to arms 16.

Depending on the embodiment, the arms 16 may comprise distal ends 32 sized and shaped to engage standard pool ladder receptacle sockets 14 (sockets of approximately 1.5-inch diameter). And where two arms 16 are used, their respective distal ends 32 may be spaced to match any common spacing between pool ladder receptacle sockets 14 (usually approximately 20 inches on-center). However, some embodiments may require custom spacing, for example, a wider socket 14 spacing is used by the embodiment shown in FIG. 15, which comprises a long line of parallel seats 22″ and a bar 24″ which would benefit from the extra stability of wide socket 14 spacing, especially under asymmetric distributions of occupants. Smaller embodiments with a similar seat 22 and bar 24 configuration (as shown in FIGS. 7-10 and 14) may retain the 20-inch arm spacing.

If only one arm 16 is used, the assembly 10 may include an anti-rotation feature 34 that prevents rotation between the distal end of the arm 16 and the pool ladder receptacle socket 14 when the distal end 32 of the arm 16 is engaged in the socket 14. The anti-rotation feature 34 may be configured to releasably secure the arm 16 against rotation relative to the ladder receptacle socket 14. The anti-rotation feature 34 may preferably be an anchor socket of the type produced by Perma-Cast LLC, but any anti-rotation feature that will fit in a standard pool ladder receptacle socket 14 should be acceptable. As best shown in FIG. 11 the anchor socket 14 may be at least partially received in a hole or recess 36 formed in a pool deck 18.

Due to the weight that may be carried by some configurations of the assembly 10, (for example five people seated on FIG. 15's embodiment of the apparatus 10″), the assembly 10 may be configured to rest against a pool wall 38 adjacent the assembly 10 (as best shown in FIG. 1), and may include at least one bumper 40 (best shown in FIG. 12) that may comprise rubber (or any other suitably resilient substance) and may be configured to rest against the pool wall 38 to prevent pressure from the assembly 10 from causing damage to the pool wall 38. By configuring the assembly 10 to rest against the pool wall 38, some of the load that would otherwise apply significant torsional force at the interface of the arm 16 and socket 14, is instead applied to the pool wall 38 through the bumper(s) 40. The bumper(s) 40 may be attached to the assembly frame 30, and may be adjustable to support the assembly 10 against the pool wall 38 at different angles relative to the pool wall 38. For example, and as best shown in FIG. 13, the bumper 40 may be mounted to the frame 30 via an adjustment feature 42 such as a threaded shaft that permits the bumper 40 to be screwed in or out to change the distance between the frame 30 and the pool wall 38. This adjustment feature 42 may also be used to level the assembly 10 to compensate for variations in the spacing between the ladder sockets 14 and the pool wall 38.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 11, an annular protective ring or gasket 44 may be carried on each of the arms 16. This ring may be shaped to cover the socket 14 when it is engaged by the arm 16. This ring 44 may cover the socket 14 for aesthetic effect, and/or to prevent debris or other contaminants from entering the socket 14, or the hole 36 around the socket. For similar reasons, another protective ring 44 may be received by the umbrella 28 to cover an accessory hole 46 formed or cut in the table 26, as shown in FIG. 6. These rings or gaskets 44 may be formed from any suitable material for aesthetic effect or protective value.

This description, rather than describing limitations of an invention, only illustrates an embodiment of the invention recited in the claims. The language of this description is therefore exclusively descriptive and is non-limiting. Obviously, it's possible to modify this invention from what the description teaches. Within the scope of the claims, one may practice the invention other than as described above.

Claims

1. A swimming pool accessory assembly comprising: a personal support device;a frame carrying the personal support device; anda first arm connected to the frame and configured to engage a first socket in a pool deck adjacent a swimming pool such that the first arm, frame, and personal support device are at least partially supported by engagement of the arm in the socket, and the personal support device is positioned to support an occupant partially-submerged in the swimming pool.

2. The assembly of claim 1 in which the first socket is a standard pool ladder receptacle socket.

3. The assembly of claim 1 including a second arm connected to the frame and configured to engage a second socket in the pool deck adjacent the swimming pool such that the first arm, second arm, frame, and personal support device are at least partially supported by engagement of the first and second arms in the respective first and second sockets with the personal support device being at least partially submerged in the swimming pool.

4. The assembly of claim 3 in which the first and second arms are configured to engage respective first and second pool ladder receptacle sockets.

5. The assembly of claim 1 further including an accessory selected from the group of accessories consisting of a table, a counter, a bar, or an umbrella; the accessory being carried by the frame.

6. The assembly of claim 1 in which the personal support device comprises a seat.

7. The assembly of claim 1 in which the first arm and frame support the personal support device in a position where a person using the personal support device is at least partially submerged in a pool adjacent the pool deck when the first arm is engaged in the socket.

8. The assembly of claim 1 in which the assembly includes a bumper carried by the frame and positioned to rest against a pool wall when the first arm engages the socket.

9. The assembly of claim 8 in which the bumper is carried by the frame in a position where the bumper will be at least partially submerged in a pool adjacent the pool deck when the first arm is engaged in the socket.

10. The assembly of claim 8 in which the bumper is adjustably attached to the assembly such that the bumper is extendable from the frame to change the angle at which the frame is oriented relative to the pool wall.