Patent Application
20250163710
This present invention pertains to pools and more specifically to a portable, water inflated, play swimming pool for children or pets with a water spray feature for entertainment.
Children's swimming pools, also referred to as kiddie pools, are known to provide entertainment for children of young ages. They are oftentimes useful to acclimate children to water and teach them how to swim as they are typically smaller and much shallower than in-ground, above ground, or recreational pools, providing a safe environment for young children. Kiddie pools provide a perfect outdoor play area for children as they can get relief from warmer weather, splash around, play with toys, and enjoy the company of their siblings, friends, parents, or caregivers.
For dogs, pet pools provide an environment for cooling down in the hot summer months, helping them to release stress and anxiety, and are designed for easy cleaning and maintenance. Playing in water also helps to benefit dogs as it can be mentally stimulating while helping to alleviate boredom and inactivity. Most dogs enjoy the freedom of being outdoors and pet pools allow them to stay active and get exercise while running around playing in and out of the water.
Kiddie pools can come in a variety of sizes and are narrowly defined as a small swimming pool designed for children. These pools can either be inflatable or made from a more solid plastic material that does not fold up or become compact creating a storage space concern. Another issue with most kiddie and pet pools is that they do not always have an easy way to drain the water after use. This makes it very difficult for someone who is in poor health or unfit to lift the pool and pour the water out from the top. One additional disadvantage for current kiddie and pet pools is that they lack an entertainment feature as most often they are simply a pool filled with water.
What is needed is a kiddie and pet pool that is portable, easily opened and compacted, has an easy to drain outlet, and comprises a water spray feature for entertainment.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided one embodiment, a water spray pool for children and/or pets that has a water spray feature for enjoyment. The water spray pool requires a connection to a common water hose and is designed to provide fun and relief during hot or warm weather days. The water spray pool has ease of use elements including an easy drainage outlet, a simple open and close design, and a portable, compact profile.
The primary object of the invention is to provide an enjoyable environment for children and/or pets combining elements of a kiddie pool with a waterpark feature using water that is sprayed in a vertical direction over a kiddie pool.
Still other embodiments of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following description wherein there is shown and described the embodiments of this invention, simply by way of illustration of the best modes suited to carry out the invention. As it will be realized, the invention is capable of other different embodiments and its several details are capable of modifications in various obvious aspects all without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the drawing and descriptions will be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.
Various exemplary embodiments of this invention will be described in detail, wherein like reference numerals refer to identical or similar components, with reference to the following figures, wherein:
The claimed subject matter is now described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the claimed subject matter. It may be evident, however, that the claimed subject matter may be practiced with or without any combination of these specific details, without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention and the claims.
Referring to
The support panels' 110 outer membrane may be rigid and may or may not be made from poly-vinyl chloride (PVC) or any other vinyl or plastic material and may be UV-resistant. The water spray pool 100 may be any geometric or polygonal shape or size. The panels 110 may be connected to a membrane for holding water that forms the pool basin. The membrane may be made of any material, such as a plastic or a fabric with a PVC coating. The membrane may be a single piece with the pool floor 150 or may be a separate piece from the pool floor 150. The water inflated channel 140 and water spray support channel 180 may be disposed on an external surface of the membrane. In other embodiments the water inflated channel 140 and the water spray support channel 180 are disposed within a void in the membrane and the spray apertures 130 are disposed on the membrane itself. The membrane forming the pool basin and pool floor 150 may be any thickness and may be a single layer of material or may be multiple layers of different materials.
In the preferred embodiment each support panel 110 is a fabric material with a PVC coating. In the preferred embodiment the fabric material of each support panel 110 is stretched over a spring steel frame. The spring steel frame may be in any number of pieces. The spring steel frame may be a single rod of material in a predetermined shape such that each panel 110 is hollow. In other embodiments there may be sheets of material disposed in the internal space formed by the spring steel. In another embodiment, the support panels 110 are comprised of a plurality of any number of panes made of any solid material and covered in a membrane that may be made of PVC or any other vinyl or plastic material.
The water spray pool 100 is designed to be collapsible and foldable when not in use with water. The panel junction 170 at the intersection of any adjacent support panels 110 is designed to allow the outer membrane to fold at the panel junction 170 of the support panels 110 and when folded the support panels 110 may fold upon another.
Referring to
The water inflated channel 140 may be attached to the support panel 110 in any manner. In other embodiments the water inflated channel 140 is partially attached to the support panel 110. In other embodiments the water inflated channel 140 is removably attached to the support panel 110. In other embodiment the water inflated channel 140 may be attached to some support panels 110 but not other support panels 140. The water support channel 140 may be attached to the support panel 110 in any configuration or position. For instance, the water inflated channel 140 may be positioned on an external surface of the support panel 110. In other embodiments the water inflated channel 140 is positioned in an internal cavity of the support panel 110.
The water inflated channels 140 may be visible, on the outside of the support panels 110, or invisible inside the support panels 110.
In other embodiments the water inflated channel 140 may be modular so that some portions of the water inflated channel 140 may be removed or added as desired. Sections of the water inflated channel 140 may be connected through any means, such as through male/female threading. When a portion of the water inflated channel 140 is removed, the end of the water inflated channel 140 may be plugged or capped. Alternatively, there may be a water feature or a spout placed at the terminal end of the water inflated channel 140.
Along the perimeter of the water inflated channel 140 are spray apertures 130. There may be one or more than one spray apertures 130 and the spray apertures 130 may be any size or shape. The spray apertures 130 may be punched holes in the water inflated channel 140 or may be individual nozzles of any shape or size formed either straight or at an angle. The spray apertures 130 may have a certain nozzle type that produces either a flat fan shape, hollow cone shape, full cone shape, solid stream shape, or a variety of other pressurized shapes. Varying the size and/or shape of the spray apertures 130 will create different spray patterns. Water may be expelled at any angle from the spray apertures 130 when water is flowing through the water inflated channel 140. In the preferred embodiment, water is sprayed up at any measured distance from the spray apertures 130 at a slight or any angle towards the center of the water spray pool 100.
Also referring to
The water spray pool 100 may or may not have one or more than one of an inner water spray support channel 180 that is positioned vertically. Water may flow to the inner water spray support channel 180 at an open connection with the water inflated channel 140 and may be made from PVC or another vinyl or plastic material and is attached along the inner side of the support panels 110 by heat bond, glue, sewn fabric or another method of bonding. When the water source is active, water flows into the water inlet 120 and through the water inflated channel 140 and may or may not flow to an inner water spray support channel 180. The inner water spray support channel 180 may be glued, bonded, or sewn closed at the lower base of the support panels 110 where the panels meet the pool floor 150. Water is then expelled at the spray apertures 130 from water pressure driven by a common outdoor water spigot that may be rated between forty and sixty pounds per square inch (PSI). Water may be sprayed from the spray aperture 130 located on the inner water spray support channel 180 in a direction toward the center of the water spray pool 100.
Referring to
In an alternative embodiment, the water inlet 120 is connected only to the inner water spray support channel 180 and water is sprayed horizontally towards the center of the water spray pool 100.
Referring to
The water spray pool 110 may have any other combination of elements or components added on without diverting from the scope of the invention. In one embodiment there may be a water pump connected to the water inlet 120 to add additional pressure to the water spraying through the spray apertures 130. The water pump may be variable speed to adjust the pressure of the water as it sprays. In other embodiments there may be an inlet in the water spray pool 100 to permit the water in the pool to recirculate through the water inflated channels 140 and spray out through the spray apertures 130 a second time. There may be one or more control valves connected to the inflated water channel 140 to permit a user to control which portion of water inflated channel 140 is active at any time or which spray apertures 130 are spraying water at any one time. In other embodiments there may be one or more LED lights connected to the panels 110 or any portion of the water spray pool 100 to permit use of the water spray pool 100 at night.
What has been described above includes examples of the claimed subject matter. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art can recognize that many further combinations and permutations of such matter are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.
The preceding description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the following claims and the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
