US3444575A - Pool cleaner - Google Patents

Description

y 1969 H. c. MARTIN 3,444,575

POOL CLEANER Filed May a, 1967 Sheet of 2 54 3 INVENTOR.

l6 HARRY c. MARTIN 32I4 mm 2/ 22 W F ATTORNEYS y 0, 1969 H. c. MARTIN 3,444,575

POOL CLEANER Filed May 2, 1967 FIG... 6

58 INVENTOR.

HARRY C. MARTIN ATTORNEYS 3,444,575 POOL CLEANER Harry C. Martin, Martinez, Calif., assignor to Louis A. lDore, In, Danville, Calif. Filed May 2, 1967, Ser. No. 635,578 Int. Cl. EtMh 3/20 US. Cl. 1.'7 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A pool cleaner of the type having a water-pervious debris collection bag mounted on an open-bottomed housing, which can be guided along the bottom of a swimming pool, is equipped with water jets supplied with water from a hose. The arrangement of the jets is such that a vortex similar to an inverted tornando is created which sucks up debris dislodged from the pool bottom by washing jets and, due to its centrifugal momentum, conveys even relatively heavy objects into the bag while preventing dispersion of light debris dislodged by the washing jets.

This invention relates to a device for cleaning a waterfilled pool, and more particularly, to a device for removing foreign matter from the pool bottom by inducing a vortex in the device which acts to carry the foreign matter into a water-pervious trap.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the past, various attempts have been made to provide a device which is capable of effectively cleaning a waterafilled pool. A number of these devices utilize a water jet to carry foreign matter from the pool into a water-pervious bag, the water jet being created by passing water under pressure through a hose which runs from a water source to the device (for example, Blumenfeld 2,919,027, Pansini 3,287,755, Lombardi 2,725,356, and Pansini 3,063,077). While each of these devices may be effective under certain circumstances, a study of them reveals that each one fails to provide certain requisites which may be considered essential to an effective device.

It will be noted, initially that the Pansini 3,287,755, device is relatively complicated, requiring pipes extending from the base and a pair of deflectors to guide debris into a bag. The Blumenfeld device is also relatively complicated, requiring a device to be mounted on the side bank of a pool. It will further be noted that the water jets of Pansini 2,287,755 and Lombardi 2,725,356 induce water flow which is parallel to the wall to be cleaned and thus these devices are only adapted to picking up leaves, loose dirt, and the like, and are not effective in picking up foreign matter which is adhered to the wall, since water merely sweeps over the wall. A study of Pansini 3,063,077 reveals that the device therein is also only adapted to pick up leaves, it being designed for that purpose, and is not effective in dislodging debris which is adhered to a pool wall.

A device is known which merely uses its own motion across the pool wall to be cleaned to induce debris into the device (Eistrup 2,902,705). But this device is clearly not as eflective as one which uses water jets to draw debris into the device, nor is it effective in picking up debris adhered to the pool wall.

Devices are known which use downwardly directed water jets to dislodge shellfish from a water bed and additional water jets to urge the shellfish into the device itself. But these devices, of course, are quite complicated and bulky, and are not adaptable for use as a pool cleaner.

The device of this invention has the additional advantage that the dirt and debris dislodged by the downwardly directed cleaning jets provided in the device are not 3,444,575 Patented May 20, 1969 stirred up and redeposited adjacent the device, but are immediately sucked into the vortex due to the strong current created by it. Consequently, the device of this invention leaves a very clean path when moved along the bottom of a pool.

It is an object of this invention to overcome the above problems by providing a device which is extremely simple in both construction and operation.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a device which etfectively dislodges debris which is adhered to a pool wall and carries it therefrom.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a device which is eflective in picking up debris which lies in a pool and is not adhered to the walls.

-It is a further object of this invention to provide a device which is capable of effectively removing from the pool foreign objects of various sizes, shapes and weights.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Briefly stated, the device for cleaning foreign matter from a water-filled pool comprises an open-bottomed base and a conduit leading from the base to a water-pervious bag. Means are included for directing at least one water stream into the inlet end of the conduit and against the inner surface thereof at an acute angle thereto, the stream being positioned to induce a vortex in the conduit. The foreign matter drawn into the vortex is carried thereby into the inlet end of, through, and to the outlet end of the conduit, where it enters the water-pervious bag or trap connected to the outlet end of the conduit and is centrifugally distributed over the filtering surface of the trap.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Each of the above objects is fulfilled by the specific embodiment shown in the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows the device being used to clean foreign matter from a pool;

FIG. 2. is a bottom view of the device;

FIG. 3 is a section taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation, partially broken away, of the means used for coupling the device to a handle;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the pipe and conduit utilized in the device;

FIG. 6 is a section taken along theline 66 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the pipe utilized in the device;

FIG. 8 is a view of a portion of the pipe showing an aperture therein;

FIG. 9 is a view taken along the line 99 of FIG. 8.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring initially to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, apool cleaning device 10 is shown. Thedevice 10 has abase 12 which has a substantially square outer periphery andwheels 14 mounted on its underside at each corner thereof. As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, aflange portion 16 of thebase 12 adjacent each corner thereof is bent around eachwheel 14 and apin 18 is passed through thebase 12,wheel 14, andflange portion 16 to provide a stable and strong wheel connection. Thebase 12 has as an integral part thereof aconduit 20 which is substantially in the center of thebase 12. When thewheels 14 are placed against aflat surface 22, the axis of theconduit 20 is substantially perpendicular to thatsurface 22. Fixed to the outer end of theconduit 20 is aring 24, the inner periphery of which is flush with theinner surface 26 of theconduit 20, and the outer periphery of which extends past theouter surface 28 of theconduit 20 to form aperipheral lip 30.

Theslides 32, 34 of thebase 12, which are opposite each other and are parallel to the direction in which thebase 12 moves on itswheels 14, extend so that they are in close proximity to thesurface 22. The otheropposite sides 36, 38 are formed so that they are relatively remote from thesurface 22.

Thebase 12,conduit 20, andring 24 are preferably of a tough, light plastic material.

Held within thebase 12, and also preferably of light, tough plastic, is apipe 40, which may With advantage be fused to thebase 12. The shape ofpipe 40 is best shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 7. Thepipe 40 has a substantially circularinner portion 42,portions 44, 46 which run along theside 36, andportion 48, 50 which runs alongsides 32, 34, respectively. Anend 52 of thepipe 40 is fused closed, while theopposite end 54 extends through thebase 12 to the upper end thereof, and is adapted to receive a water hose by means ofcoupling 56. The substantially circularinner portion 42 is coaxial with theconduit 20 and fits against the first end thereof. Thepipe 40 has therein a plurality ofapertures 58, 60, 62, the operation of which will later be discussed in detail.

Fixed to thebase 12 is aU-shaped strap 64, preferably made of the same plastic material as thebase 12. Thestrap 64 pivotally holds ashaft 66 by means of afastener 68. Theshaft 66 is adapted to receive over it the end of a long, hollow handle which hasaperture 72 positioned to align with anaperture 74 in theshaft 66 so that apin 76 may be passed therethrough. This serves to connect thehandle 70 to theshaft 66, whereby the. device may, be moved by means ofhandle 70. Thepin 76 may be attached to theshaft 66 byWire 78, as shown in FIG. 4, to insure that it will not be misplaced.

Attached to the end of the conduit is a waterpervious bag ortrap 80 of close mesh. The end of thebag 80 fits over the lip about theconduit 20 and may be held thereon by a rubber band or any other wellknown means.

In FIGS. 8 and 9, a small section of pipe with anaperture 58 therein is shown. It is to be noted that water passing through theaperture 58 will travel in the direction shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, that direction being substantially along the axis of theaperture 58. Thus the direction of the water stream from theaperture 58 in thepipe 40 may be chosen by forming the aperture (as by drilling) at a certain angle relative to thepipe 40.

Referring now to FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, only thepipe 40 andconduit 20 are shown for clarity. As best shown in FIG. 6,apertures 60 are formed to direct cleaning water jet streams downward and against thesurface 22.Apertures 58 are formed to direct water streams into what may be called the first end of theconduit 20 and against theinner surface 26 thereof. As best shown in FIG. 6, the Water streams fromapertures 58 strike theinner surface 26 of theconduit 20 at an acute angle thereto, the streams being positioned to induce a vortex in theconduit 20. Theinner portion 42 of thepipe 40 contains a series ofapertures 62 which are also directed into the first end of theconduit 20 and against theinner surface 26 thereof at an acute angle thereto. These water streams are also positioned to induce a vortex in theconduit 20.

In the operation of the device, thehandle 70 is connected to theshaft 66 by means ofpin 76, and a source of water under pressure is connected through a hose tocoupling 56 attached topipe 40. Thedevice 10, with water-pervious bag ortrap 80 attached thereto as discussed above, may then be lowered by means ofhandle 70 into a water-filledpool 82, as shown in FIG. 1. Water under pressure is then supplied topipe 40. This Water flows throughpipe 40 and exits fromapertures 58, 69, and 62, thus forming water streams from these apertures.

As described above, the streams fromaperture 60 are directed downward. The stream fromapertures 58, 62 are directed into the first end of theconduit 20 and induce avortex 84 in theconduit 20. Foreign matter in thepool 82 adjacent thevortex 84 is strongly drawn into the vortex and carried thereby into the first end of theconduit 20. The foreign matter passes through theconduit 20 and from what may be called the second end thereof and into thetrap 80, where it is collected. The centrifugal momentum of the vortex causes an even distribution of the debris over the bag surface, so as to utilize the full capacity of the bag with maximum effectiveness.

Thedevice 10 may, of course, be moved on itsWheels 14 over the submerged Walls of thepool 82, by means of handle '70. When this is done, the water streams fromapertures 58, being directed against a submerged wall, dislodge foreign matter which may be adhered to the Wall. The vortex then acts on the dislodged foreign matter to carry it into, through, and from theconduit 20 and into the trap 8fi, where it is collected. When the trap is sufficiently filled with debris, thedevice 10 may be tilted on its side to insure that collected foreign matter remains in thetrap 80, and removed from thepool 82 by means ofhandle 70. When thedevice 10 is so removed, thetrap 80 may be disattached from theconduit 20 and emptied of foreign matter.

It is to be noted that thesides 32, 34 of thebase 12, being in close proximity to thewall 22, act to keep foreign matter, which has been dislodged, within thebase 12, so that thevortex 84 may act on it and carry it into thetrap 80. This results in the cleaning of a strip ofwall 22 and insures that foreign matter which is dislodged does not settle back to thewall 22 on a portion that has already been cleaned.

It is also to be noted that thesides 36, 38 of thebase 12, being relatively remote from thesurface 22 that they pass over, allow objects such as leaves into the base 12 as it rolls on itswheels 14. Thevortex 84 may thus be brought adjacent these objects, whereby they may be picked up and carried into thebag 80.

The inventive device is extremely effective, as compared to the prior art devices, because of thevortex 84 which is induced in theconduit 20. It has been found that a device incorporating a vortex of this type in combination with a relatively large diameter conduit, has much greater carrying power than a device in which water streams merely pass through the conduit without forming such a vortex. This device, because of the vortex and relatively large diameter conduit, has been found effective for picking up leaves, and even odd-shaped and relatively heavy objects, and has also been found effective in dislodging and picking up heavy muck which has become adhered to a pool wall.

'Applicant has thus disclosed a pool cleaner which is extremely simple in both construction and operation, requiring a minimum of components. Furthermore, the invention device is extremely effective in cleaning debris, either loose or adhered to the pool walls, from the pool, and is extremely effective in picking up objects of various sizes, shapes and weights.

I claim:

1. A device for cleaning foreign matter from a waterfilled pool comprising:

(a) a base;

(b) a conduit held relative to the base and open at both ends;

(c) means for projecting at least one water stream into the first end of the conduit and against the inner surface thereof upwardly and at an acute angle thereto, said stream being positioned to induce a vortex in the conduit, the foreign matter adjacent the vortex being carried thereby into the first end of, through, and from the second end of the conduit; and

(d) a water-pervious trap connected to the second end of the conduit for collecting foreign material carried from the second end of the conduit.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein is included means for directing at least a second water stream against a submerged wall of the pool when the base is properly positioned relative to said submerged wall, whereby foreign matter is dislodged from the submerged wall and carried by the vortex into the first end of, through, and from the second end of the conduit and into the waterpervious trap.

3. A device for cleaning foreign matter from a pool comprising:

(a) a base adapted to be moved over the submerged walls of the pool;

(b) a conduit held relative to the base and open at both ends;

(c) a pipe held within the base and adjacent the first end of the conduit and having a plurality of apertures therein;

(d) a hose connected at one end thereof to the pipe and at the other end thereof to a source of water under pressure, the water thereby passing through the hose into and through the pipe, and from the apertures therein, the apertures being positioned so that a plurality of water streams therefrom are projected into the first end of the conduit and against the inner surface thereof upwardly and at an acute angle thereto, said streams being positioned to induce a vortex in the conduit, the foreign matter adjacent the vortex being carried thereby into the first end of, through, and from the second end of the conduit, and

(d) a water-pervious trap connected to the second end of the conduit for collecting foreign material carried from the second end of the conduit.

4. A device according to claim 3 wherein said pipe includes an additional plurality of apertures adapted to direct a plurality of water streams therefrom against a submerged wall of the pool when the base is moved over said submerged wall, whereby foreign matter is dislodged from the submerged wall and carried by the vortex into the first end of, through, and from the second end of the conduit and into the water-pervious trap.

5. A device according to claim 4 wherein the axis of the conduit is perpendicular to the submerged wall as the base is moved over the submerged wall, and wherein a portion of the pipe is shaped to substantially surround the axis of the conduit.

6. A device according to claim 5 wherein the outer periphery of the base is substantially of square configuration, and wherein two opposite sides of the base are adapted to be in close proximity to the submerged wall as the base is moved over the submerged wall.

7. A device according toclaim 6 wherein the base and conduit are integral, and the base, conduit, and pipe are of plastic material.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,646,889 7/1953 Dulak 151.7 2,725,356 11/1955 Lombardi 151.7 X 3,075,227 1/1963 Bowles 15-346 3,287,755 11/1966 Pansini 15-345 X 3,301,606 1/1967 Bruno 15409 X EDWARD L. ROBERTS, Primary Examiner.

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