US2808845A - Swimming pool cover - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 8, 1957 D. DE J. WOOD SWIMMING POOL COVER- 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 27. 1954 Oct. 8, 1957 D. DE J. WOOD SWIMMING POOL COVER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 27. 1954 D0122 De/Jarim zz LY/boa? 2,808,845 SWIMMING POOL COVER Dora De Jarnatt Wood, Woodland, Calif.

Application December 27, 1954, Serial No. 477,805

4 Claims. (Cl. 135-1) This invention relates to protecting devices for exposed areas of predetermined size; my main object being to provide a cover structure, particularly designed for use over a swimming pool, by means of which such a pool may be quickly and easily covered and protected against the settling of dust, leaves, or the like on the water or falling into the pool during a wind storm, as

atent Cfiice well as preventing rain from entering the pool after the latter has been emptied. The cover is also a protection and safeguard against the possibility of small children falling into the pool when the latter is unattended, or after dark.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cover structure for the purpose which includes a cover sheet of flexible foldable material, and a wheeled carriage on which the. cover is permanently mounted, and on which said cover is arranged to be carried in a folded condition, clear of the ground, for transport of the structure to and from the pool, and for compact storage when not in use. At the same time, it is a matter of a very few minutes to wheel the carriage into place, and unfold and extend the cover to the desired covering position over the pool.

Still another object of the invention is to produce a swimming pool cover which is designed-for ease and economy of manufacture.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusual of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevation of the cover structure showing the flexible cover folded.

Fig. 2 is a similar view, but shows half of the cover unfolded and extended to its operative position.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the structure with the cover unfolded, but with the side flaps of half the cover remaining to be lowered to a closed position.

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the supporting carriage of the structure, from which the flexible cover has been removed.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary enlarged cross section, on line 5-5 of Fig. 3, showing the manner in which the flexible cover is mounted on the supporting cross bar.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, the structure comprises a supporting carriage, indicated generally at 1, and which includes a vertical skeleton trussed frame 2 of a length, transversely of a pool 3, to extend from side to side of such pool, as shown in Fig. 4. The frame includes a tubular top bar 4 supported at its ends on uprights 5 which are secured on elongated base platforms 6 mounted on casters 7 which ride on the ground adjacent and to the sides of the pool.

The flexible cover, indicated generally at 8, is a continuous sheet of suitable material such as one of the various water-proof fabrics now on the market; the main section 9 of such sheet being of a length sufiicient to extend over the bar 4 and thence to both ends of the 2,808,845 Fatented Oct. 8, 1957 pool, and of a width to extend the full width of the pool, as shown in Fig. 3. p

The cover 8 is located in position on the bar 4, against both lateral and longitudinal shifting movement, by short dowel members 10, preferably pipe nipples, upstanding from the bar 4 near the uprights 5 the cover having reinforced openings 11 through whichsaid members 10 project. d V

1 Reinforcing or stiffening bars 12, preferably of tubular form, are mounted in and extend across the main cover section 9 at the ends thereof. Rings or eyes 13, to which s'pr'ingtensioned securing cords 14 may be attached, or through which ground stakes may project, are connected to the ends of bars 12 at the corners of said main cover section 9. Whether cords 14 be used and tied to suitable anchor points, as in Fig. 2, or ground stakes driven through rings 13, the main cover section 9 is maintained relatively taut and in effective covering relation to the ool- 3. 7 Whensaid main cover section 9 is in position over the pool 3 there initially exists triangular vertical open} ing's between the sides of the pool and the sloping side edges of said section 9 in both directions from the carriage' uprights 5. In order to close such openings and complete the pool coverage, the cover 8 includes triangular flaps 15 secured along such sloping side edges of section 9. The flaps areinitially folded over onto the main. cover section 9, asshown on one-half thereof inFig. 3, but such flaps are turned down to a depending position when the coveris in use.

Each flap, of which there are four, is provided along its lower edge with a hem 16 into which a weighting and stiffening rod is slid after the flap has been lowered to position. The rods 17 for the several flaps are stored when not in use-on cradles 18 upstanding from caps 19 threadedon the upper ends of the dowel members 10, as shown in Fig. 5. W

If it is desired to remove the cover from the carriage for repair or replacement, it is only necessary to unscrew the caps ll9 from the dowelmembers-1t); which permits the main cover section 9 to be slipped oif said members. The caps 19, with the cradles 18 thereon as a unit, are obviously wider than the openings 11, so that the cover sheet cannot slip or be blown off the dowels unless the caps are removed.

In order to hold the cover in a folded position when not in use, and for transport with the carriage without dragging on the ground, the cover section 9, along the side edges thereof or at the junction of said section with the flaps 15, is provided with a number of rings 20, as shown in Fig. 3. These rings are mountedon the under side of the cover, and-together with rings 13-are adapted to engage over and hang from longitudinal arms 21 projecting upwardly from uprights 5 at an angle thereto.

Sufiicient rings are mounted on each half of the cover section 9 so that when such rings are engaged over the arms 21 the cover section will hang from said arms in the form of a number of folds or loops 22 which are well clear of the ground, as shown in Fig. 1.

When the cover is thus folded and hung from the supporting carriage 1, the structure may be readily moved to and from the pool. When the structure is moved to the desired straddling relation to the pool, each half of the cover may in turn be readily and conveniently unhung and unfolded from the carriage, and extended to the desired pool covering position.

The downwardly sloping feature of the halves of the main cover section 9, when extended, allows rain to drain oif instead of remaining thereon, as is the case when a horizontal cover is used.

If desired, screened grommets 23 may be applied to the cover at suitable points, such as is shown, for instance, in Fig. 2, for the relief of air pressure produced under the cover as on a windy day; such screened grommets thus reducing flapping to a minimum.

While the above described cover structure has been particularly designed for use to cover a swimming pool, said structure may also be used to cover and protect other horizontal areas, such as fruit drying yards, patios and the like.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there has been produced such a structure as will substantially fulfill the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the structure, still in practice such deviations therefrom may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new and useful, and upon which Letters Patent are desired:

1. A cover structure for a horizontal area of rectangular form comprising an upstanding frame structure adapted to extend across and above the area intermediate its ends and including a top bar, a flexible cover sheet for said area resting intermediate its ends on the bar and arranged to extend thence in opposite directions to the ends of such area, elements at the ends of the cover sheet for engagement with ground engaged retaining elements, a pair of triangular flaps included with the cover sheet on each side thereof, each flap extending along a side edge of the sheet to adjacent the frame and arranged to depend from the cover to close the vertical space between the frame, the ground level and the corresponding portion of the cover sheet, a stiffening rod substantially the length of the lower edge of each flap, and means on the flap to removably engage and support the rod.

2. A cover structure for a horizontal area of predee termined size and of rectangular form, comprising an upstanding frame structure adapted to extend across and above the area intermediate its ends and including a top bar and supporting uprights adjacent the ends of the bar,

a flexible transversely foldable cover sheet hung on the bar and of a length to extend thence in opposite directions to the ground at the ends of the area and having a width not less than that of said area, means securing the cover sheet intermediate its ends in a fixed position on the bar, spaced rings fixed on the cover sheet along the side edges thereof, and'arms fixed on the uprights and projecting at an angle upwardly and lengthwise of the cover sheet from opposite sides of said uprights, and on which arms the rings of adjacent side edge portions of the cover sheet may be detachably hung; the spacing of the rings being such that when they are so hung on the arms the corresponding portions of the cover sheet hang in loops which terminate short of the lower end of the frame structure.

3. A structure, as in claim 2, in which the cover sheet includes triangular flaps extending along said side edges of the sheet and arranged to depend therefrom to close the vertical spaces below the downwardly sloping side edges of the cover; said spaced rings being mounted on the under side of the cover sheet whereby to enable the flaps to be folded over onto the upper face of the cover sheet and then exposing the rings for engagement with the arms.

4. A structure, as in claim 1, with exposed cradles mounted on the top bar in spaced relation to carry said rods parallel to said bar when the rods are disengaged from the flaps.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 608,351 Terramorse Aug. 2, 1898 707,483 Winants Aug. 19, 1902 1,225,917 Barker May 15, 1917 1,528,375 Hampden et a1. Mar. 3, 1925 1,957,994 Eccher May 8, 1934 1,999,171 Bryant Apr. 30, 1935 2,000,644 Powers May 7, 1935 2,022,211 Lefert Nov. 26, 1935 2,029,886 Marshall Feb. 4, 1936 2,199,127 Clearmont Apr. 30, 1940

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